Aside from the autobiographical echoes – famous philanderer discovers monogamy late in the day – Beatty offers no fresh take. The movie, bathed in soft focus, is as reticent about sex as the Cary Grant/ Deborah Kerr version, and half as romantic. The only fun is in the lively first third: Beatty and Bening are at their best in push-pull seduction mode, when they can be a bit naughty. But once the couple clinch their bond – just when the story gets really shameless – the life drains out of the movie. ““Love Affair’’ takes such pains to dodge vulgarity it forgets to put anything in its place.
