Review of Bringing Up Baby (1938) by Martin K — 01 May 2011

Bringing Up Baby is sheer lunacy. The world of Susan and David demands a high degree of suspension of disbelief because it's hard to believe that anyone like Susan could exist, and/or that anyone like David would happen to encounter her and take all of her crazy nonsense lying down (he tries laboriously to get up but never succeeds). It's even harder to believe that Susan, mad as a hatter though she is, would find someone like David so irresistible. The viewer is really not meant to analyze this situation, and anyone who gets caught in the trap of trying to reason out David and Susan's whirlwind love affair is going to find this film extremely off-putting. It's not surprising, then, that the film tanked upon release and sent director Howard Hawks' and Hepburn's careers into a depressing tailspin.

The key to enjoying this film, however, is to turn off that part of the brain that wants to make sense of what it sees. There is no sense here. Bringing Up Baby is pure and utter nonsense for the sake of being nonsense, and it's this quality, when appreciated for what it is, that renders the film so endearing and so funny. It's the Alice in Wonderland of romantic comedies. There is no real rhyme or reason underlying David and Susan's adventures because there is no rhyme or reason underlying Susan's mode of existence. When a character like Susan is introduced into the equation, all bets are off.

In that vein, Bringing Up Baby may be one of the finest screwball comedies ever to have been created, and this is why the film has enjoyed growing admiration over the decades since its release. The propulsion of the action here squarely rests upon Susan's shoulders, and box office poison though she may have been labeled after this film's tepid release, Hepburn was equal to the task of bringing this wholly unlikely character to life. Susan is unlike any of Hepburn's other many fascinating characters, also, which alone ensures that the film is worth the watch. Her screws are so loose that the term batty simply doesn't sell the character enough, and yet, her motivations are as straight and as focused as anyone who does not have a leopard amongst their worldly possessions: all she wants is to be loved and, most importantly, to be loved by David. Her performance is timelessly funny, from her twittering giggle to her hilarious short attention span, and loony though she is, she's the hero of the piece. The writing is also top notch, adapting a short story into a film of giddy silliness.

Yet, the film is flawed, though not for the reasons initially believed. The supporting cast, in comparison with Hepburn's naturalness and Grant's attempt at buffoonery, plays a bunch of caricatures that are not nearly as fun to watch as the two leads. Speaking of Grant, commendable though it was for someone so dapper and straight-laced to attempt a then-modern day clown, it clearly wasn't a comfortable fit for him. Grant's performance, though not his best, is believable and winning because his chemistry with Hepburn (four times his screen partner, in total) was so winning. Their repartee and ability to bounce off each other was quite lively, engaging, and extremely watchable, so Grant's awkward bookworm, all the more awkward because it was against his usual type, became as endearing as Susan's free spirit. Bringing Up Baby, then, is worth the watch additionally because of the gamble Grant takes in this film, similar to Susan being unlike Hepburn's usual character fare.

Further, the story is rather implausible, as inventively madcap as it is. Suspension of belief truly must be tossed out the window - as in turned off completely. The potential viewer should simply sit back and enjoy the ride because the adventures of Susan, David, and the leopard named Baby have all the twists and turns of a roller coaster.

Ultimately, though, Bringing Up Baby is funny and induces sincere laughter. It serves its purpose for being made, in other words, and quite effectively, though some of that hilarity is diluted by too many repeat viewings, as the humor of the film is best bolstered by the sense of the unexpected that accompanies David and Susan's adventures. If nothing else, "Baby" is charmingly cute - the film and the leopard, that is.