Review of Bringing Up Baby (1938) by Ron P — 25 Nov 2011

Bringing Up Baby is considered the definitive screwball comedy, a sort of yardstick even. But that's not what makes this film really enjoyable. It's many other things too - take Cary Grant's performance for instance.

He is beautiful in the role of the Harold Lloyd-type professor with a knack for out-of-the-blue chaos. As a very disaster prone fellow, it's only fair that he should be married, not to a serious minded museum assistant, but to Katherine Hepburn's character.

This, in my view, that is what the film is all about - how these two get together eventually after a long, trifling and hilariously funny series of goofs which involve other funny performances as well (most notably Charles Ruggles' Horace Applegate).

Though unappreciated then, I should say that it's a must-watch movie that you will definitely love, not only for the hilarity, but also for how it might as well reflect real life ideals - especially Grant's eventual (and definitely right) bonding with a woman who can and does love him, not for his work and genius, but (and this is specially true of him) his lovable nature.

But above all, it is Howard Hawks' remarkable direction that tunes all these goofy elements into one lovable classic, that is Bringing Up Baby.