Philadelphia socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is about to marry George Kittredge (John Howard), just a few years after her divorce with C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant). Dexter, now a worker for Spy magazine, arrives at the Lord mansion the day before the wedding as well as tabloid reporter Macaulay "Mike" Connor (James Stewart) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey). As the wedding draws closer, Tracy soon becomes torn between George, Dexter and Mike.
With this being the only Katharine Hepburn movie I've seen so far, I can't really say that this is her best role but she is good. Grant's work is also good (and charming), but like Hepburn, this is so far the only movie I've seen him in. Stewart definitely earned the Academy Award nomination, but I'm a little sketchy on the win. Personally, Henry Fonda for The Grapes of Wrath should've won, and Stewart should've won the previous year for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But overall, he is also good. The movie I liked very much. Having seen a few Billy Wilder and Woody Allen movies prior to this, I kinda expected what the chemistry throughout the movie would be like. But it still works.
My Rating: *****
Definitely worth watching. Thanks for the contribution.
ReplyDeleteThe Philadelphia Story is a lovely romantic comedy.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I adore James Stewart, I don't think he deserved the Oscar for his role in this film at all. Stewart is almost a third wheel in this film to Grant and Hepburn, who are absolutely delightful together. If anyone deserved a Best Leading Actor nomination (and win) for this film, it should've been Grant. Grant's Dexter is charming and complex, but hopeful--a perfect match for Hepburn's Tracy Lord.
Director David Cukor provides a fast paced comedy with rapid-fire repartee and fosters a bubbly chemistry between the cast members, which brims with laughs.
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