Woman of the Year

Rating:
Summary: Movie of the Day
Review: I was mildly mislead before watching George Steven's "Woman of the Year". The fault is no one's but my own. I was expecting a comedy not realizing it was a drama\romance.

In the beginning scenes the movie is played as comedy and than shifts to a more serious tone. And I think that hurt the movie.

"Woman of the Year" could have been a screwball comedy about the battle of the sexes. The themes are definitely there. Does a woman have to give up her professional life when married? Does she have to play the submissive role of "housewife" and "stand by her man"? Or can she be independent and have both, a carrear and family? And think they have Katherine Hepburn playing the role! One of Hollywood's leading feminist along with Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Mary Pickford (who showed amazing business savvy).

"Woman of the Year" starts off as Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) and Tess Harding (Katherine Hepburn) get into a debate about of all things; baseball. The two work for the same paper and Tess, in Sam's eyes, is one of those snobbish know-it-all's. Soon the two start an exchange of words in their colums.

And it's here the movie plays as a screwball comedy and works best. I love a scene where Sam takes Tess to her first baseball game and has some difficulty explaining the game to her. There is also a scene where Tess invites Sam to her room and the movie's last scene are my favorites. But, all of these scenes play up the comedy.

As the movie goes on a serious tone is now presented. This is not to say the movie couldn't have worked as a drama throughout. Of course it could have. But why play around with the comedy ideas in the beginning and then desert it? The material cries out for comedy. Something in the tradition of "The Awful Truth", "His Girl Friday", or "Bringing Up Baby".

I say all of this and yet the movie went on to win an Academy Award for "Best Screenplay". Given what was nominated that year I would have preferred "Road to Morocco" to win.

Also Katerine Hepburn was nominated but lost to Greer Garson for "Mrs. Miniver".

I mentioned a scene eariler where Tess invited Sam to her room. Notice how this scene is played out. Pay attention to the innuendo of the situation. I understand this was the first movie Hepburn and Tracy made together, and while I don't know much about their personal life, i.e. when exactly they met each other, my guess is they knew each other before this was made because you can feel the heat in the scene.

"Woman of the Year" is not a bad movie, it has two entertaining performance from Hepburn and Tracy and an interesting story-line but I just feel the material would play better as comedy.

Bottom-line: Good movie with good performances from the stars. Starts off as comedy than goes to drama and back to comedy. Would have been better as a complete comedy, but oh well, still rent it.

Rating:
Summary: "Woman Of The Year" is Great
Review: "Woman Of The Year" is a Katherine Hepburn Spencer Tracy comedy MGM movie story of a powerful career woman "Tess Harding" who meets a powerful career man "Sam Craig" and they marry and the problems begin because they both have careers though her career is more public than his.She's a person that just about everyone knows in the world and she knows just about everyone by 1st name.There are some Great comedy scenes and the conflicts between career and home are good and they have a happy closing scene.This was the 1st of 9 movies that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy starred in and they were good together in movies especially this one if you watched any of their movies then you would know and if not this is a good movie you would enjoy.This is the best Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie.The movie was popular with audiences and later the movie "Woman Of The Year" was made into a musical play.Barbara Eden played the role in a national touring production of "Woman Of The Year" in 1984 and it was this movie that the musical play was based on.A Great story.A Great movie.A Great DVD.

Rating:
Summary: The Start of a Screen Team
Review: "Woman of the Year" is known more for being Tracy and Hepburn's first screen pairing than for being an oustanding film. It's certainly not a bad one; the dialogue just seems a bit stilted and overly dramatic at times. In lesser hands, this would've been stuffed on a back shelf awhile ago. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are extremely talented, though, both alone and as a team, so the end result is a cheerful, electric little romantic comedy. The subject matter -wife has more prestigious job than husband- is actually rather controversial for its time (I wonder how the ending would have changed if it was remade now). It's a joy to watch Tracy and Hepburn together; they rank right up there with Bogie and Bacall as one of the best screen teams of all time.

Rating:
Summary: "Woman Of The Year" is Great
Review: "Woman Of The Year" is a Katherine Hepburn Spencer Tracy comedy MGM movie story of a powerful career woman "Tess Harding" who meets a powerful career man "Sam Craig" and they marry and the problems begin because they both have careers though her career is more public than his.She's a person that just about everyone knows in the world and she knows just about everyone by 1st name.There are some Great comedy scenes and the conflicts between career and home are good and they have a happy closing scene.This was the 1st of 9 movies that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy starred in and they were good together in movies especially this one if you watched any of their movies then you would know and if not this is a good movie you would enjoy.This is the best Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie.The movie was popular with audiences and later the movie "Woman Of The Year" was made into a musical play.Barbara Eden played the role in a national touring production of "Woman Of The Year" in 1984 and it was this movie that the musical play was based on.A Great story.A Great movie.A Great DVD.

Rating:
Summary: The Start of a Screen Team
Review: "Woman of the Year" is known more for being Tracy and Hepburn's first screen pairing than for being an oustanding film. It's certainly not a bad one; the dialogue just seems a bit stilted and overly dramatic at times. In lesser hands, this would've been stuffed on a back shelf awhile ago. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are extremely talented, though, both alone and as a team, so the end result is a cheerful, electric little romantic comedy. The subject matter -wife has more prestigious job than husband- is actually rather controversial for its time (I wonder how the ending would have changed if it was remade now). It's a joy to watch Tracy and Hepburn together; they rank right up there with Bogie and Bacall as one of the best screen teams of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Laughs when you least expect it...
Review: Aside from Hepburn & Tracy's debut as a team, all credit should be given to director George Stevens for putting together this very complicated story so seamlessly. Mr. Stevens finally won an Oscar in 1951 for "A Place in the Sun" and again in 1956 for "Giant". After "Woman ofthe Year", Stevens was nominated for "The More the Merrier", another complicated plot that he handled with brilliance (remade in the 60's as a Cary Grant romp). Tracy & Hepburn are wonderful (Kate getting a nomination), and Kate's pant-suits certainly must've made a fashion statement; Kate was certainly more comfortable in those clothes than the glamour girls of the time, and though not a great beauty, she was glamorous. I still don't understand why Kate became "box-office poison" in the late 30's; I thought she was brilliant in "Stage Door", "Holiday" and "Bringing Up Baby". I don't see any difference in her choice of roles as with Irene Dunne, who did crazy comedy ("The Awful Truth") as well as sensitive drama ("Love Affair"). Who's to say what tastes were at the time? Though "Woman of the Year" has a few slow, serious moments, it's the light-hearted moments that hold interest. It won an Oscar for Screenplay, much deserved by Michael Kanin and the later black-listed Ring Lardner, Jr. And there's a particularly lovely performance from Fay Bainter who seemed to be over-looked. I enjoy this film for many reasons; it was timely, due to its release during the WWII years, as well as attacking attitudes of society which are today ever-present. I think it's most entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Laughs when you least expect it...
Review: Aside from Hepburn & Tracy's debut as a team, all credit should be given to director George Stevens for putting together this very complicated story so seamlessly. Mr. Stevens finally won an Oscar in 1951 for "A Place in the Sun" and again in 1956 for "Giant". After "Woman ofthe Year", Stevens was nominated for "The More the Merrier", another complicated plot that he handled with brilliance (remade in the 60's as a Cary Grant romp). Tracy & Hepburn are wonderful (Kate getting a nomination), and Kate's pant-suits certainly must've made a fashion statement; Kate was certainly more comfortable in those clothes than the glamour girls of the time, and though not a great beauty, she was glamorous. I still don't understand why Kate became "box-office poison" in the late 30's; I thought she was brilliant in "Stage Door", "Holiday" and "Bringing Up Baby". I don't see any difference in her choice of roles as with Irene Dunne, who did crazy comedy ("The Awful Truth") as well as sensitive drama ("Love Affair"). Who's to say what tastes were at the time? Though "Woman of the Year" has a few slow, serious moments, it's the light-hearted moments that hold interest. It won an Oscar for Screenplay, much deserved by Michael Kanin and the later black-listed Ring Lardner, Jr. And there's a particularly lovely performance from Fay Bainter who seemed to be over-looked. I enjoy this film for many reasons; it was timely, due to its release during the WWII years, as well as attacking attitudes of society which are today ever-present. I think it's most entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh and sparkling, with Tracy and Hepburn a perfect fit!
Review: Aside from the historical value of first teaming Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Woman of the Year holds its own as a bright, smart 'Odd Couple' romantic comedy, with witty dialogue, a rich, textured performance by the reliable Tracy, and Hepburn showing a sexiness that she rarely gets to project on film (The Philadelphia Story is the only other example that comes to mind). The scenario is simple; Beautiful, brilliant Claire Booth Luce-type (Hepburn) clashes and falls for practical, salt-of-the-earth sportswriter (Tracy). While the domesticity scene concluding the film seems out of place (the story goes that MGM added it to make Tracy the 'winner' of the male/female competition, to a much more chauvanistic 40s audience), so many scenes ring true that the film goes beyond simple comedy to a statement about commitment, priorities, and accountability for one's actions. Oh, and it makes you laugh, too! Hepburn's first ball game, Tracy at the women's club meeting, are among the comic highlights. The star duo seem so natural together that it's hard to believe this was their first teaming! A well-deserved classic!

Rating:
Summary: Romantic and clever movie!
Review: George Stevens' "Woman of the Year" is a romantic comedy mixed with social commentary. Between the laughs is mixed in a pair of messages: (1) that success in life can feel somewhat empty if you have no one to share it with, and (2) a domestic home life can prove to be a daunting challenge to even the most accomplished of public figures.

Newspaper columnist Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is drawn into a good natured war of words with a co-worker over comments she made during a radio show. Although entertaining to readers, the printed jabs hurled between her and sportswriter Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) comes to an abrupt end when their boss makes it clear he wants his newspaper writers to maintain a united front to the public. During this announcement, the two writers meet for the first time and become smitten with one another. Although Tess and Sam seemingly have nothing in common, they grow closer and eventually marry. However, problems begin almost immediately as Tess is unable to comprehend the importance of being married and Sam becomes frustrated with her inability to keep her work life and home life separate. Tess, however, soon gains some valuable insight into her situation when she attends her father's wedding and soon Tess and Sam are reunited with a much better understanding of their relationship.

Watching Hepburn and Tracy work their magic on screen gives "Woman of the Year" a special charm. Yet the film produces some mixed reactions. Despite the quality of its performances and its addressing of relevant social issues, its messages come across as a little misguided. The film implies that a successful career and a fulfilling domestic life are incompatible for women. To make matters worse, the screwball manner in which Tess is portrayed in the last third of the film causes the film to lose more of its luster. It seems that the intent was to add in more comedy to the final act to help offset the mounting drama, but the comedy comes at the expense of undermining Tess' character. The positive role model she created for women up to this point is washed away as the bumbling Tess finds it difficult to accomplish such simple tasks as lighting a stove or making toast. Yet, despite this unfortunate turn of events, "Woman of the Year" is still an entertaining film. The writing is sharp for the most part and the baseball game sequence is a classic. Tracy's final scene in the film is also great as he finally lets Tess' personal assistant know what he really thinks of him. Chalk up "Woman of the Year" as a film that fell short of its aspirations but is still solid entertainment nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: "I've just launched Gerald."
Review: George Stevens' "Woman of the Year" is a romantic comedy mixed with social commentary. Between the laughs is mixed in a pair of messages: (1) that success in life can feel somewhat empty if you have no one to share it with, and (2) a domestic home life can prove to be a daunting challenge to even the most accomplished of public figures.

Newspaper columnist Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is drawn into a good natured war of words with a co-worker over comments she made during a radio show. Although entertaining to readers, the printed jabs hurled between her and sportswriter Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) comes to an abrupt end when their boss makes it clear he wants his newspaper writers to maintain a united front to the public. During this announcement, the two writers meet for the first time and become smitten with one another. Although Tess and Sam seemingly have nothing in common, they grow closer and eventually marry. However, problems begin almost immediately as Tess is unable to comprehend the importance of being married and Sam becomes frustrated with her inability to keep her work life and home life separate. Tess, however, soon gains some valuable insight into her situation when she attends her father's wedding and soon Tess and Sam are reunited with a much better understanding of their relationship.

Watching Hepburn and Tracy work their magic on screen gives "Woman of the Year" a special charm. Yet the film produces some mixed reactions. Despite the quality of its performances and its addressing of relevant social issues, its messages come across as a little misguided. The film implies that a successful career and a fulfilling domestic life are incompatible for women. To make matters worse, the screwball manner in which Tess is portrayed in the last third of the film causes the film to lose more of its luster. It seems that the intent was to add in more comedy to the final act to help offset the mounting drama, but the comedy comes at the expense of undermining Tess' character. The positive role model she created for women up to this point is washed away as the bumbling Tess finds it difficult to accomplish such simple tasks as lighting a stove or making toast. Yet, despite this unfortunate turn of events, "Woman of the Year" is still an entertaining film. The writing is sharp for the most part and the baseball game sequence is a classic. Tracy's final scene in the film is also great as he finally lets Tess' personal assistant know what he really think of him. Chalk up "Woman of the Year" as a film that fell short of its aspirations but is still solid entertainment nonetheless.