The Christmas Wife (1988): Cast & Plot

John Tanner, Jason Robards, a recently widowed retired architect, decides to spend Christmas at his quiet lakeside cabin rather than fly west to visit his son and his family, seeking a simple, platonic companionship to ease the holiday solitude. His search leads him to a social arranger Don Francks, who introduces him to a woman close to his own age named Iris, and together they arrange a first meeting at a town hotel plaza before they head to the countryside for the holiday. He also has a son, Jim Tanner, James Eckhouse, whom he may be missing during this season, adding a personal tug to his decision to stay home.