Review of Pat and Mike (1952) by Jake3_14 V — 04 Nov 2007
I was prepared to love this Hepburn-Tracy pairing, but the movie doesn't date well. In 1952, it was probably a proto-feminist statement to have Hepburn leave a conventional but dull romance to fulfill her career potential as an athlete. And it was probably nothing unusual for a 1952 heroine to tell her true love that she needed someone to watch over her. But even from a 1970's perspective, much less a 21st-century's viewpoint, it's clear that Hepburn needed people to get out of her way, not watch over her.
Tracy wears his blue collar uncomfortably. His pugnaciousness seems genuine, but it's a labored effort for him to keep his intelligence under wraps.
As always with Hepburn and Tracy, there is the potential for great chemistry, but the script throws a blanket over it for much of the film, unable to find a natural, gradual way to show the increasing attraction between these two people from opposite sides of the tracks. Only in Tracy's last line of the film, which feels ad-libbed, does the relationship feel unforced.
This review of Pat and Mike (1952) was written by Jake3_14 V on 04 Nov 2007.
Pat and Mike has generally received positive reviews.
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