Matched by Garson Kanin's witty, sophisticated screenplay, George Cukor, Spencer Tracy, and Katherine Hepburn are all in top form in the classic comedy Adam's Rib.
Matched by Garson Kanin's witty, sophisticated screenplay, George Cukor, Spencer Tracy, and Katherine Hepburn are all in top form in the classic comedy Adam's Rib.
Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Adam's Rib is a peerless comedy predicated on the double standard. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play Adam and Amanda Bonner, a husband-and-wife attorney team, both drawn to a case of attempted murder. The defendant (Judy Holliday) had tearfully attempted to shoot her husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen). Adam argues that the case is open and shut, but Amanda points out that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of
"the unwritten law." Thus it is that Adam works on behalf of the prosecution, while Amanda defends the accused woman. The trial turns into a media circus, while the Bonners' home life suffers. Adam's Rib represented the film debuts of New York-based actors Jean Hagen, Tom Ewell, and David Wayne (as Hepburn's erstwhile songwriting suitor), and the return to Hollywood of Judy Holliday after her Born Yesterday triumph. One of the best of the Tracy-Hepburn efforts, it inspired a brief 1973 TV series starring Ken Howard and Blythe Danner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Thanks to an at times sharp script, solid lead performances, and a scene stealing supporting turn by Judy Holliday, Adam's Rib is an entertaining enough film to warrant a solid review. But one of the great comedies of all time? Not even close.
A well-written and acted comedy that was ahead of its time in counterpointing some basic assumptions, that there are certain "male" and "female" qualities and that each gender can and must exchange these qualities as trading cards.
Sex Wars mid-century style. Adam's Rib can't help but look a bit dated, but it sure is a perfect encapsulation of a certain type of couple at a certain time.
Hepburn wants to start women's liberation in 1949! She and her husband are lawyers on opposing sides of a case which involves a man and a woman, and they get into a battle of the sexes. It's funny at times, and too silly at other times. Overall, pretty good, but it could have been better.
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