Average Rating:
Rating: - I can't give you anything but love, Baby!
Number 19 on AFI's Top 100 Comedies?? Are you joking? This is the best screwball comedy in the history of film. The dialogue is amazingly fast; the movie demands multiple viewings to get all of the jokes. Of course, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are very nice to look at and play their parts perfectly (Hepburn's voice and LAUGH did annoy me the first time I watched it, but she grows on you). The supporting characters are hilarious - they're all old pros, and you can tell. Walter Catlett, who taught Hepburn slapstick timing, especially stands out as Constable Slocum. Buy or rent this movie to experience the perfect screwball comedy.
Rating: - The ultimate screwball comedy...
If you are wondering what exactly "screwball comedy" is all about, just see this movie. It highlights the best of the genre: rapid, hilarious dialogue, frantic action, and a crazy plot. Furthermore, it has the perfect example of the essential part of "screwball" - a man and a woman who really love each other, but don't know it, and fight constantly. And, even if you know exactly what screwball comedy is all about, watch this anyhow! Quite simply, this movie is totally hilarious! Every scene is great, even though you could argue that some are a little too long (but I don't mind). The plot is really bizarre, but basically it concerns a palentologist (played by Cary Grant) who lives a dull, boring life and is about to be married to an equally dull and businesslike woman (when he asks to go on a honeymoon, she objects b/c she claims he needs to work instead - "this will be our baby," she states, gesturing at the dinosour bones). By chance, however, he meets a madcap heiress (played by Katherine Hepburn) who turns his life upside down while taking him to Conneticut to deliver a leopard to her aunt. The performances are all excellent, and Cary and Kate are wonderful together! This is screwball at its best (it is directed by Howard Hawks, the man responsible for some of the other great screwball comedies, like His Girl Friday and Twentieth Century) - and is a must-see for the whole family. Get this movie, and enjoy!
Rating: - MADCAP SCREWBALL COMEDY...
This is a terrific, old fashioned, madcap, screwball comedy. Deftly directed by Howard Hawkes, the pace is frenetic from the get-go and never lets up. Starring Cary Grant, as a straight-laced paleontologist, and Katherine Hepburn, as an impulsive and beautiful heiress, this film is simply about as good as comedy gets.The plot itself is simple. David Huxley (Cary Grant), a noted paleontologist, is trying to get a philanthropical grant of money for his museum from a wealthy donor. In his quest for this charitable gift, he runs into Susan (Katherine Hepburn), who, unbeknownst to him, is the niece and prospective heiress to his potential philanthropist's fortune. Once David meets up with this madcap heiress, his life will never be the same. The film is noted for its highly improbable situations, its rat-a-tat-tat, stacatto delivery of lines, its frenetic pacing, and impeccable comedic timing. Toss in a missing dinosaur bone, a little dog with a fondness for such, a domesticated leopard (if there is such a thing), a not so tame leopard, a great cast and script, and voila, one ends up with a great film! Cary Grant is marvelous as David Huxley, the straight-laced, befuddled man of science who is drawn into improbable situations by Susan. Katherine Hepburn is sensational as Susan, the airhead heiress whose hair-brained ideas just lead to trouble. Of course, Susan falls for David, and the games begin. In addition to Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, the film has notable performances by Charles Ruggles, as big game hunter Major Applegate, Barry Fitzgerald as the hapless hired hand, Mr. Gogarty, and Walter Catlett, as Slocum, the criminally stupid town constable. It is with good reason that this film made The Entertainment Weekly list of the 100 best comedies ever made. It is an assessment with which I heartily concur. This is a superlative, vintage film that is well worth having in one's personal collection. Bravo!
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