AllMovie

Despite an opening disclaimer to the contrary, Stolen Holiday is indeed based on the famous Stavisky scandal of the 1930s -- not that it matters, since Holiday is an enjoyable little melodrama whether one knows the real life story behind it or not. Holiday falls a little short of being an especially good film, but it still is a better than average one. What keeps it from rating higher is the fact that the section of the film that gives it its title -- an idyllic romance between Kay Francis and Ian Hunter -- is far less interesting than the con man caper that bookends this sequence. It also doesn't help that good guy Hunter simply isn't as interesting as bad guy Claude Rains (and that hold true whether talking about the actors or the characters they portray). Rains is a wonderful trickster, amoral and ruthless but still charming; Hunter is simply bland. Francis works well with Hunter, but she really kicks things in high gear when she's with Rains, and so there's an imbalance in the film, despite the best (and very good) efforts of director Michael Curtiz. Still, this flaw is by no means fatal, and Holiday is a very entertaining film. Francis has never been better, and she looks absolutely stunning; not every actress could pull off the fashions so well.