Review of The Philadelphia Story (1940) by Jack G — 17 Apr 2015

Gets better as it goes along, even as its still a 'light' Rom-com. Stewart didn't deserve his Oscar, but he is so much fun here it makes the movie. I also liked and appreciated, which I don't get to see in Rom com's today, how other people call out Hepburns character for being a "prig" upper class socialite type.

actually compared to the sociopaths who made Rom com's so insufferable in the past 25 years, she's almost positively delightful and human. Grant is funny too, though kind of more of the 'straight' guy in comedic moments.

Its a frothy Hollywood romance with skill and grace and drunken shenanigans, and even kids get eloquent quips. I may personally prefer when these actors are in screwball mode in other films (Hawks jumps to mind), but it's respectable, quality stuff, and it takes its characters seriously - Hepburn especially deepens and has a sophistication with the character that's surprising when it starts off seeming like it could dip into pre sitcom territory (and some may argue it's what that is).

But Mankiewicz and Cukor have fun with them in what is not great but very good, and that's enough.