Rating: 
Summary: a charming and hilarious time capsule
Review: I didn't live through the period this film was made in, and found it hard to understand at first. Possibly the idea that I had the most trouble with was that at the time men who shot their cheating wives would often be let off, while women who did the same thing often got nailed. It never really explains this, and I had to get it from the back of the box. Of course, if this film took place today Amanda would be laughed out of the courtroom long before her closing statement, which really drove home how much things have changed. It really should be viewed for anyone who wants to know about the 40s, and anyone who is just looking for a good time.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't get it
Review: I feel this is one of those movies that everybody calls a classic just because they wouldn't dare go against it. Well, I will. Except for the hilarious opening, with Judy Holiday trying to kill her husband, I just didn't think this movie was that funny. The dialogue between Hepburn and Tracy is amusing, but not laugh-out-loud funny. Some may disagree, I know. But watch this movie not thinking it's a famous grand comedy, and you may find that it's not really all that funny. I don't know.... it could just be me. But be warned!For a good Hepburn film, see Bringing Up Baby. For a good Tracy film, see Inherit the Wind. For a good movie about Bruce Campbell fighting zombies, see Army of Darkness.
Rating: 
Summary: Battle of the Sexes, Round 1
Review: I love Katherine Hepburn and she shines to perfection in this movie. I liked this movie because it wasn't a "chick flick." As many of Hepburn's movies do, Adam's Rib demands the equality of women. However, it does not go too far- it demands equality for women, not special treatment. The movie is also interesting to see nowadays as it presents the situation of women back in the 40s, shows how far we have come, and yet how far we still have yet to go. One thought I had though- on the idea of homewrecking and how terrible it is for men to cheat on their wives- didn't Tracy cheat on his wife for his committed relationship with Hepburn?
Rating: 
Summary: Very overrated
Review: I thought the actors were better than the script, and I thought the script was artificial, wooden and deadly dull. It simply was not funny. I didn't even care much for Judy Holliday (the only reason I watched and then kept a copy of this DVD), who, incidentally, did NOT win an Oscar for this flick! Hepburn was one of the kindest human beings in the theater (in the world!) and Tracy has long been a hero of mine, I love them both, but not in this fast-talking turkey. Only two things got my interest. What was Holliday's intention and did she kill Ewell at the start (I guess that's two things right there), and how did they manage the transexual metamorphoses at the end. I really didn't like it. Really.
Rating:
Summary: Adam's Rib
Review: It's incredible how you can see the relationship between Amanda and Adam go through this situation when they are in diferent sides and even then they can express their love for each other. They can argue and even then have moments for their own, those little things that really made a couple. And how engenious both of them are to achieve their goals. Watch this movie, it worths.
Rating:
Summary: Hepburn and Tracy at their best!
Review: Katharine and Spencer's acting is, as usual, superb. This is delighful fun! Although I usually don't care for comedies, this is an exception. Kate and Spence are perfect for each other!
Rating:
Summary: Tracy and Hepburn, brilliant as always
Review: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies are sometimes thin on plot, but always loaded with their unique chemistry. Few, if any, movie duos ever possessed the magic these two emanate from the screen. Tracy is perhaps the greatest screen actor of them all, and Kate plays off him to perfection. Their interplay here is engaging, witty and makes you realize that no one working in movies today can hold a candle to these two giants. The plot here is a trifle unbelievable and there are parts of the film which drag, especially the scenes with David Wayne who is really superfluous to the action. If you are a stickler for a smooth plot and lots of action, then this movie won't be your cup of tea. However, if you appreciate the brilliance of Spencer Tracy and enjoy the unparalleled chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn, then you'll adore this movie.
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.
|
