Like much of Haynes' work, a lush, ravishing portrayal of life in the 1950s. This time anchored by subtle performances from Blanchett and Mara that make their relationship believable rather than cliched. A visually gorgeous film , and I guess these days because it takes place at Christmas, it's then a "Christmas movie", and thus the best Christmas movie of the year. And Cate is so good - this should have really been titled "Cate".