Rating: 
Summary: So far ahead of its time...
Review: Katharine Hepburn is invariably described as one of the greatest screen legends of all time, and this film embodies all of her classic screen qualities. It is romantic, hilarious, and has a relevant message, even to the modern viewer. I highly recommend this film. She and Tracy had incredible chemistry on screen in all their films, but this (and "Woman of the Year") are my all-time favorites.
Rating:
Summary: It's a gem
Review: Long acclaimed as one of Hollywood's finest comedies, Adam's Rib is arguably the best of the Tracy/Hepburn offerings. One can appreciate it fifty years after its debut. Any movie should be looked upon as a period piece, but the best ones are able to transcend their own time frames.Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn play husband-and-wife legal beagles, so close personally that they share a nickname, who oppose each other professionally in a routine criminal trial. The circumstances of the case impel them to focus on their personal causes (feminism for her, honor for the law for him), and they quickly become competitors and antagonists in their marriage as well. And this is a comedy? Yes - thanks to inspired scriptwriting, expert direction, and a good fast pace. The supporting cast is exceptional - Judy Holliday (who won an Oscar for her role) as the harrassed defendant, Tom Ewell as her sleazy philandering husband, and David Wayne as the lawyers' very, very weird neighbor. Jean Hagen has a small role as the "other woman" - she later played the obnoxious silent-movie diva in "Singin' in the Rain." Watch - at least once - the apartment/hallway quarrel with the sound turned off. You'll see facets of movie-making brilliance you may not have noticed before. Adam's Rib is one of the few Hollywood films which proves itself, indeed, to be like a finely cut emerald.
Rating:
Summary: A classic that succeeds on many, many levels
Review: Of all the films that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made together, this is my favorite. The two are absolutely brilliant as a husband and wife who are both lawyers on opposite sides of a case having to do with a woman defending her honor by shooting her husband when she finds him cheating on her. As great as the two leads are, however, this film is so rich and succeeds on so many levels that it would have been a great success even with two far less gifted performers. The film also features what was essentially the debut of three well known performers: Jean Hagen (who would shine only three years later in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN), Tom Ewell, and the absolutely magnificent Judy Holiday, arguably the greatest dumb blondes in the history of Hollywood (despite being by all accounts one of the most intellectually brilliant performers ever, once having scored over 170 on an IQ test). Holiday is especially great in the film, absolutely stealing every scene in which she appears. Her scene in the witness chair is my favorite scene in the film. David Wayne fills out a remarkable cast as Hepburn and Tracy's next door neighbor, a songwriter who pens the song "Farewell, Amanda" for Hepburn, who plays Amanda Bonner (Tracy is Adam Bonner, hence the title of the film). His constant bantering enlivens nearly every scene in which he appears. George Cukor does his usual competent job directing, but the heart of the film, in addition to the acting, is the outstanding script by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. The movie is stuffed with jokes, gags, emotional tension, and serious issues in a manner that is rarely successful. One of my few complaints with the film is the rather absurd handling of questions of women's equality, naively basing it on the ability of a woman to do anything a man can do, which is, of course, absurd in a variety of situations. For instance, they bring a Strong Woman into the court room, to demonstrate that a woman can be as strong as a man, though it is impossible to discern what legal point that is supposed to make, and leads to a moment of slapstick that is below the quality of the rest of the film. The silliness of this scene seems to undercut the seriousness of the issue of women's issues in the rest of the film. Also, one can see the wires used to make it appear the woman is lifting him over her head, making it seem even sillier. This is one of those movies that improves upon reviewing, partly because a first viewing isn't sufficient to unveil all the excellences contained within it. It remains one of my favorite films by all of the principles involved.
Rating:
Summary: They don't make 'em like this anymore!
Review: One of my favorite old comedies, surprisingly modern in outlook. Katheryn Hepburn is at her regal best here, showing fire, passion and spirit as only she can, and Spencer Tracy as her husband gives a memorable performance as well. Hepburn and Tracy paint a convincing and engaging portrait of a "power couple" who could have come straight from the end of the century, fighting and loving with real passion, and clearly enjoying every minute of it; they portray a couple who are true equals in every possible way, who may have honest and real differences of opinion but whose commitment to each other stands firm. A true classic!
Rating:
Summary: A comedy that still sparkles with energy and wit...
Review: Probably the best of the Tracy-Hepburn movies, Adam's Rib is very funny and enjoyable. Excellently written, well directed by George Cukor, and (most of all) featuring great chemistry between Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, this is the ultimate "battle of the sexes" movie and a must-see. Basically, Adam's Rib starts out with a wife who shoots at her husband (Judy Holliday, who does an excellent job with her important, if small, role) after finding him with another woman. At the trial, Holliday is represented by Amanda Bonner (Katherine Hepburn) who just happens to be opposed by her own husband (Spencer Tracy) who is the prosecuting attorney. The movie creatively uses the premise of the trial as a springboard for witty, funny conversations between the Bonners' about equality and the double standard (if Holliday had been a man, would she be judged so harshly). Anyhow, Adam's Rib is a fantastic film which discusses many relevant issues and is, contrary to what you might think, really quite modern in its outlook. There may be some points in the film that reflect its age but, overall, the main issue - the ever ongoing battle of the sexes - is still as relevant today as it was 60 years ago. Furthermore, the movie is so witty and well done that it would be a joy to watch even if the content was clearly irrelevant now. It features several scenes that are especially noteworthy - for instance, the scene in which Hepburn humiliates Tracy in court and the resulting scene where Tracy scares Hepburn with the licorice gun. So, overall, this film still sparkles with wit and with the chemistry between its stars...highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A Gem!
Review: So far this is the only Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn movie I have seen and I just loved it and I'm sure I will like their other movies too when I get a chance to watch them! Judy Holiday who was very good plays a woman who shoots her abusive husband who is cheating on her so Spencer Tracy who plays a prosecuter wants to send her to prison but Katharine Hepburn who plays a defense lawyer wants to help her avoid prison and it also so happens that the prosecuter and defense lawyer are married which makes for a very interesting battle and they gave outstanding performances! I'm glad I wasn't the only person who found Kip the boorish neighbor of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn played by David Wayne to be annoying, he was really rather bratty for a middle aged man but anyway this is a superb movie and I very highly recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: Can't Date the Chemistry
Review: Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn star as prosecuting attorney and defence attorney of a woman accused of shooting her cheating husband. The trial gets a lot of attention as Hepburn attempts to assert the need for equality in how women and men are treated when caught in similar situations, such as revenge against a cheating spouse. She believes a man shooting his wife would be considered more justifiable. The trial also gets a lot of attention since the lawyers are married. Thus men and women are pitted against each other in yet another fight for equality. Elements of the film have dated, mostly surrounding the trial itself and Hepburn's circus like attempts to make her point. But what is not dated is the very real chemistry between the two stars, setting off sparks outside the courtroom. Both were top actors, with screen personalities and styles that contrast each other perfectly. Their talent and chemistry alone can carry a film. They are well supported by the wonderful Judy Holliday, who makes her character just slightly off-centre enough to be believable. The only sour note is David Wayne, as Hepburn's obsessed neighbour. It's not that he doesn't do a good job - he does. But the character is extremely annoying as written, and I found myself fast-forwarding through some of his parts. But despite that and, as I said, the dated courtroom elements, the film is smart, with pointed dialogue, great performances, and of course, more than enough chemistry to make it well worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated.
Review: The movie is a victim of poor writing. It has not held up over the years very well, but is a quite stilted and two-dimensional 1940s "battle of the sexes" movie. (Ah do declare! Ladies can be doctors and lawyers! Zounds!) The movie would have been worth seeing if Tracy had decked Kip and divorced Amanda...... Good acting, certainly, but I found myself glancing at my watch throughout. (The fact that the writers had obviously never been in a courtroom added to my displeasure).
Rating:
Summary: Battle of sexes never better. Maximum wit on display
Review: The Tracy-Hepburn duo was never better than in this supremely witty, often laugh-out-loud comedy of two lawyers on opposite sides of the courtroom involved in an attempted murder case with the classic love triangle. The triangulators? Tom Ewell, Jean Hagen, and Judy Holiday--all in their first films. The lawyers? Why, Tracy and Hepburn of course--married to each other. Hep, the defense attorney, takes the case to vent her opinions on women's lib--one of the first films to lay it all out in the open on the subject. She defends poor little Judy, the wronged wife. Spence, the ADA, prosecutes to prove that Judy is nowhere near as innocent as she claims. The back and forth here is so sharp you could cut yourself just listening to the lines. And there's the back and forth of courtroom and homefront, too. Hep and Spence go at it in both places and the lines supplied by real life husband-wife team of Ruth Gordon (Harold and Maude) and Garson Kanin are deliciously zingy so much of the time you eat em up even as your tongue is bleeding. Just too cool. Amazing that this film has not aged at all. One of the great comedy classics and sure to remain so. If I could give this a sky full of stars, I would. Zingalicious.
Rating:
Summary: A Hepburn/Tracy classic
Review: This classic 1949 comedy will go far toward explaining what was so charismatic about the on-screen pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. The set-up is perfect for their rapid-fire style of verbal dueling: they play a married team of lawyers on opposing sides of a high-profile case. George Cukor directed this marvelous comedy from Hollywood's so-called Golden Era, and it still pulls at the sensibilities of modern viewers with its sophisticated portrayal of gender politics. Screen pairings (which of course, in this case, represented their affair off-screen, as well) don't get any better than this.
|
