Review of The Philadelphia Story (1940) by Andy G — 04 Aug 2009

After numerous unwatched rentals and library checkouts, I finally got around to watching The Philadelphia Story, and with my parents at that. Watching with them may have actually caused me to enjoy the movie less than I otherwise might've; my mom fell asleep and my stepdad isn't much for the ancient classics. But what I saw was classic screwball, brought to life by two of cinema's classic screwball artists in Hepburn and Grant, plus a titanic third wheel in Jimmy Stewart. I haven't even mentioned John Howard, Ruth Hussey, and the altogether great ensemble that starred in the film.

If there's one criticism that I have (and I have it with almost all screwballs I've seen), it's that situations tend to drag. Such was the case with Bringing Up Baby, another Grant/Hepburn classic. In this case, the cast almost completely counteracts the slightly-too-long banter that takes place. Part of this is b/c each actor plays to their strengths. Whereas Grant was a quite, timid character in Bringing Up Baby, here he is his well-known, sarcastic, lovable jerk persona. Stewart is his hard-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside character trademark. And Katharine Hepburn is, well, Katharine Hepburn, sassy charms and all (redheads are just as lovely in B&W). Seeing her interact with each of her suitors as well as her other relatives is what drives the movie forward, and is probably the main reason why Hepburn successfully erased the "box-office poison" label. That said, the conversations between Hepburn and the Grant-Stewart-Howard triumvirate could have been handled better. Twist ending? Not to give anything away, but sure. Was it -- even by screwball standards -- a believable twist? Given how often the characters spoke, and the subject matter of their conversations, not really.

It Happened One Night still sits firmly atop my fave screwball perch. Probably an unfair ranking, considering it's arguably pre-screwball. Still, The Philadelphia Story is an entertaining comedy about upper crust society in screwball form. It has all the ingredients of a classic screwball - big stars, a big director, a ridiculous story, and sharp, witty, dirty (yes, dirty... gotta love those double entendres) dialogue. Definitely one I'd be willing to watch again.

"Be whatever you like, you're my redhead.".