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Adam's Rib

Adam's Rib

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An All-Time Classic 'Battle of the Sexes' is a 'sheer joy'!
Review: "Adam's Rib' is arguably the greatest Tracy-Hepburn film, and is certainly the most popular of their teamings. Brightly written (by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin), it takes the premise of the trial of a wife (the sparkling Judy Holliday, in her film debut) shooting her unfaithful husband (Tom Ewell, establishing himself in the kind of role he'd reprise in The Seven-Year Itch), and turns it into a forum for sexual values in the '40s, and a showcase for the fabulous Tracy and Hepburn. The two were never better than as the battling D.A. and defense attorney. In the courtroom and out, the love they share, and tweaking of each other's egos, is a sheer joy to watch. That the story is also a knowing commentary about women's inequality under the law makes the film even more topical today, and doesn't reduce the film's enjoyment value at all. It is a VERY funny film, and can be enjoyed at MANY levels! David Wayne's smarmy songwriter-neighbor sings 'Goodbye, Amanda', a song written by Cole Porter for the film (In fact, Hepburn's character's name in the film was changed to Amanda, to fit Porter's song!) Favorite scenes include the 'home movie', which accurately reflects Tracy and Hepburn's own relationship; the infamous massage scene ("I know a slap...!"); and Tracy's licorice-gun confrontation, and crying-on-demand scene. A Classic that deserves it's reputation

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An All-Time Classic 'Battle of the Sexes' is a 'sheer joy'!
Review: "Adam's Rib' is arguably the greatest Tracy-Hepburn film, and is certainly the most popular of their teamings. Brightly written (by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin), it takes the premise of the trial of a wife (the sparkling Judy Holliday, in her film debut) shooting her unfaithful husband (Tom Ewell, establishing himself in the kind of role he'd reprise in The Seven-Year Itch), and turns it into a forum for sexual values in the '40s, and a showcase for the fabulous Tracy and Hepburn. The two were never better than as the battling D.A. and defense attorney. In the courtroom and out, the love they share, and tweaking of each other's egos, is a sheer joy to watch. That the story is also a knowing commentary about women's inequality under the law makes the film even more topical today, and doesn't reduce the film's enjoyment value at all. It is a VERY funny film, and can be enjoyed at MANY levels! David Wayne's smarmy songwriter-neighbor sings 'Goodbye, Amanda', a song written by Cole Porter for the film (In fact, Hepburn's character's name in the film was changed to Amanda, to fit Porter's song!) Favorite scenes include the 'home movie', which accurately reflects Tracy and Hepburn's own relationship; the infamous massage scene ("I know a slap...!"); and Tracy's licorice-gun confrontation, and crying-on-demand scene. A Classic that deserves it's reputation

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Who Wears the Pants?
Review: Adam's Rib (black and white; running time 101 minutes; not rated) stars two of the greatest Academy Award winning actors of our time, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. This movie was directed by George Cukor in 1949 for Metro Goldwyn Mayer. In a very comical and humorous way, Adam's Rib explores equal rights for women and the question of who wears the pants in a marriage.

When a wife is accused of the attempted murder of her unfaithful husband, Assistant District Attorney Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) lands the case. Little does he know that soon his wife, Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn), who is also an attorney, will be defending the accused wife and using equality for women as the main defense. Amanda Bonner wants to know, "What's the difference?". She submits that if the accused had been a man whose wife was being unfaithful, everyone would believe he was attempting to save his marriage, while her client is accused of trying to kill her husband. As the trial progresses, so does the animosity and competitiveness between the attorneys, which in turn causes a strain on their otherwise happy marriage. The sparing between the two attorneys culminates in the hilarious closing arguments of the trial. The accused wife is found not guilty and Amanda Bonner has won her case--or has she? Adam Bonner is able to use his wily ways to get Amanda back which will leave unanswered the question, "Who wears the pants?".

This film is rated five stars (*****). This classic romantic comedy will leave you with a smile on your face. The comic interaction between Tracy and Hepburn is engaging and unforgettable.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TRACY AND HEPBURN! WHAT A TREAT!
Review: Adam's Rib is one of those movies that brings you back to when times were simple and life was grand.

Hepburn and Tracy as always work well together, but the movie does show its age (in the work environment).

A wonderful movie that doesn't give women their dues in the world of business.

A good rent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Adam's Rib
Review: Adam's Rib was a wonderful movie and sixth of those to team Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This intriguing movie is about two lawyers who happen to be husband and wife, and very much in love, working on a case against eachother. The trial and homelife at the end of each day is perfectly fine at first, but after awhile the two begin fighting at home and their marriage is threatened when the husband walks out one night. What will happen next? See the movie.... it's really good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Showing its age but still worth a watch
Review: After Woman of the Year (where you can pinpoint the FRAME they fell in love), Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn were probably never better than in this 1949 examination of sex roles in American society. As battling attorneys, they take on the case of Judy Holliday, on trial for shooting her philandering husband, Tom Ewell (the pre-Singin' in the Rain Jean Hagen plays the Other Woman). Some of the trickery -- the courtroom stunts -- fall a little flat today, and who can be fooled by the David Wayne character, a bitter queen trying to foist himself off as a womanizer? (Probably nobody, least of all this movie's director, George Cukor.) Still, as a portrait of a marriage of Manhattan sophisticates it's as heartwarming as Nick and Nora Charles; and the best sequences are deservedly classics.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still a great classic
Review: Although I'm a big Tracy fan and enjoyed this movie quite a bit, I didn't find the rapid-fire dialog quite as sharp and witty as most, but it's still a fine movie. If you want to find razor-sharp, fast-moving dialog, try the Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster film, "The Sweet Smell of Success." The hard-hitting, corrosive, and rapid-fire dialog in that movie virtually singes the air, remembered long after the movie has ended, although it's a much more serious movie and not intended to be funny as with this one.

But getting back to the present flick, if there was a longer or more charismatic on-screen romance than Tracy and Hepburn, I don't know what it is, and they bring that chemistry once again to the silver screen in this movie. Their rivalry in the murder case becomes the talk of the town as well as in their bedroom, and Tracy is great as the dutiful husband who suffers Hepburns' barbs and diatribes about everything from his job to women's rights with a sort of calm, stoic exasperatedness, although she finally gets his goat and gets a rise out of him on more than one occasion. And Hepburn is equally great in her role also, as the smart, upbeat, and driven defense attorney who champions the accused woman's cause.

The movie deals surprisingly well with many women's rights and equality issues considering this is 1949, and women who think feminism and women's lib was invented in the early to mid-60's would do well to watch this film, which came out almost 15 years earlier. So overall, still a fun classic and well worth your time especially if you're a Tracy or Hepburn fan. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The battle of the sexes has never been more fun
Review: Although most people think of the 1960's as the heyday of the woman's liberation movement, in truth the movement dates back to the turn of the century with the suffragettes' crusade for the women's right to vote. In the 1940's, the movement gained a great deal of momentum as "Rosie the Riveter" became symbolic of women holding down jobs during WWII that were traditionally done by men. When the war ended and the men came home to reclaim their jobs, the battle of the sexes really began. Women had exploded the myth of not being as capable as men and now they began demanding not just the vote, but equality in all things. Made in 1949, "Adam's Rib" is a comedy that addressed one of the most hotly contested issues of the day.

This is the fifth in a series of ten collaborations between Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This film was written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, a team that wrote two of the ten Hepburn/Tracy films ("Pat and Mike" was the other). Gordon and Kanin generally wrote stories that were patterned after their own marriage, and were nominated for an Oscar for this screenplay. Katharine Hepburn always sought out roles that had a strong female character and Tracy enjoyed playing the traditional male trying to tame the tiger. They were perfect for one another. Their films were very popular because they were able to bring humor to a painful transition that was occurring all across America, the re-evaluation of women's roles in society.

This story seems silly by today's standards, showing how far we've come. A woman shoots her husband for cheating on her, and Amanda (Katharine Hepburn) decides to represent her as her defense counsel. Her husband Adam (Spencer Tracy) is the prosecutor in the case. Sparks fly between attorneys in the courtroom and the bedroom as the battle of the sexes ensues. Much of it is in jest, but the film does a good job of making fun of the battle without mocking the women's cause. The film whimsically makes the point that the issues are not black and white, and that the ideal of totally equality is impeded by numerous immutable differences between men and women.

One of the most anachronistic elements has nothing to do with sex. The idea that shooting one's spouse for infidelity is justifiable, whether man or woman, would be ludicrous in today's society. In 1949, however, it was the generally held belief that home wreckers who were shot had gotten what was coming to them. Amanda succeeds at arguing that this standard of justifiable assault should apply to women as well as men, but today a jury would laugh its way all the way to a guilty verdict regardless of the sex of the defendant.

As always, Tracy and Hepburn are terrific together, with probably the best screen chemistry of any male/female team in the history of films. Adam is always ribbing Amanda about her feminism (giving the title a double entendre) and defeats her in the end using one of her own female tricks. Cole Porter contributes an original song "Farewell Amanda" which is a beautiful tune rendered trite by incessant repetition. David Wayne is the only discordant note, elevating an annoying character to unbearably obnoxious with his snide delivery.

This excellent comedy was relevant in its time, but it hasn't aged well because the times have changed (which may be all the more reason to see it). I rated it a 9/10. The battle of the sexes has never been so much fun.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't see this film.
Review: First of all let me say Katharine Hepburn is my favorite actor of all time. Now let me say how much I despised this movie. I had high hopes for this film since I like Judy Holliday and Jean Hagen, however i cannot begin to describe to you how ludicrous this film is. If you have not seen this film save yourself see any other Katharine Hepburn film, or read a book, just don't watch this film. The plot is boring and contrived, and although this film is trying to make a statement about equal rights for women I think it fails. Katharine Hepburn relies too much on Spencer Tracy and the end of the film is a complete let down.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another Classic Hepburn Tracy Pairing
Review: Hepburn is feisty and Tracy is exhasperated. That seems to be the theme here. She rants and he simmers. She's progressive and he's old fashioned. Intelligent dialogue and good acting keep this somewhat dated battle of the sexes moving along. They made 9 movies together and this is probably the best, though I enjoy Woman of the Year. Knowing now what America didn't know then makes their pairing seem incongruous. Odd that such an independent outspoken and intelligent feminist such as Hepburn would hitch her cart to an adulterous drunk for a quarter of a century.


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