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Adam's Rib

Adam's Rib

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Rating: 5 stars
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: 4 stars
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: 1 stars
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: 5 stars
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: 5 stars
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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Favorite Hepburn/Tracy Movie
Review: This is my absolute favorite. The court room antics, the chemistry between the two and a clever story line. I can't see how you'd go wrong with this one, fun from start to end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Loved It!
Review: This is the only Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn movie I have seen and I just loved it and want to see their other movies! 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. 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 irritaing, I'm not into violence but I must say I was hoping that either the character played by Spencer Tracy or the character played by Katharine Hepburn would have slapped him when he was being so rude and trying to make a fool out of Spencer Tracy when he was showing his family home movies to his guests at the dinner party?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Inspiring
Review: This movie caused me to take an interest in the law as a young girl. I am now a successful lawyer and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the movie all over again. Sparks, fun, ambition, relationships, wise-cracks and everything you would expect from Hepburn and Tracy. Outstanding

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fun
Review: This movie is great fun. Hepburn & Tracy are superb as usual, but Ewell & Holliday almost steal the show!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie, Bad Version
Review: This movie is wonderful. Tracy and Hepburn are at their best. The supporting cast is a riot. However the movie loses one star because of the absolutely terrible colorizing job done with it. Its inconsistent, and detracted from my enjoyment of the film. Buy the movie, its fabulous, but don't get it in color.


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