Adam's Rib

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	George Cukor
Starring:	Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn
Release date:	19 September, 2000
List price:	~~$19.98~~
Our price:	$15.98 that is 20% off!

Adam's Rib

Average rating: Stars

Adam's Rib

The ultimate battle of the sexes comedy, which of course leads to romance. Perhaps Tracy and Hepburns best overall film, its packed with charm, humor and intelligence and their powerful onscreen chemistry. The script is razor sharp and the supporting performances from newcomers Ewell, Holliday and David Wayne first rate.

Adam's Rib - Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn

cracking dialogue

I agree with the reviewer on the "Sweet Smell of Success" cracking dialogue, but this one is quite good. "Desk Set" is another one. Now that I think of it, Hepburn's "The Philadelphia Story" and "Bringing Up Baby" also have wonderful dialogue. Of course, Howard Hawks was good at this, too, with "The Big Sleep", "To Have and Have Not", "His Girl Friday", "Ball of Fire", and "Monkey Business" all offering fantastic, and fast-paced banter. Add to this Robert Mitchum's "Out of the Past", "Casablanca", "The Maltese Falcon", "Citizen Kane", and a couple Lubitsch-"To Be or Not To Be" and "Cluny Brown", and you have some good speaking.

Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn - Adam's Rib

Gotta love Kate

Yeah, there's something about us old stick-in-the-mud conservatives. We like the spitfire progressives like Kate Hepburn and co-writer Ruth Gordon, and they like us. There's something to be said for opposites attracting, and that's how Tracy & Hepburn were. It never was more evident than in "Adam's Rib."

Some may say that the themes of male/female equality here are dated. I don't believe so. The same script could be done today with modern trappings and very little would need to be changed. The only real difference is that in 1949 it was a new thought; nowadays some progress has been made but we are still struggling to find equal footing that makes us all feel like things are appropriate. Maybe these issues will never be completely settled; maybe the discussion is the point, not the settling of it.

In any event, aside from the social impact of the issues that take place in this seriocomic picture, the most memorable thing of all is the obvious fondness with which Tracy & Hepburn regard one another. The best acting doesn't feel like acting and, in spite of Tracy's offscreen religious situation that prevented him from divorcing his wife and marrying Kate, and in spite of the dicey morality thereof, it's a pleasure to see them together with a witty script and George Cukor's sure direction. Must see.