Review of His Girl Friday (1940) by Johnathon W — 26 Jul 2018

Romantic comedy classic that holds up as one of the best movies on the genre and the best of all involved. Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell are perfection as exes and co-workers, playing off each other perfectly while delivering some of the best dialogue you will ever hear (it moves fast and often overlaps,but is never confusing).

Russell, in particular, gives what is considered one of the great female performances of all time, playing a woman who more than holds her own against the men in her profession, if not surpassing them (frequently, she outwits everyone else to beat them to the story).

Of course, the supporting cast is equally excellent, with Gene Lockhart shining as the shady sheriff. Behind the camera, the great director Howard Hawkes crafts one of his many classics, proving once again he could do any genre (he also directed one of the greatest westerns of all time, "Red River", and greatest detective movies, "The Big Sleep").

The adaptation of "The Front Page" play is perfect and even improves on the story, with of course the big change in making Hildy a female, thus adding the romantic subplot. Despite that, this is a surprisingly progressive by even today's standards, as Hildy is seen as an equal by her fellow male reporters, many who can't believe she would give it up to be a house wife.

To date, still one of the standards in the romantic comedy genre along with being some of the finest film dialogue you will ever hear.