His Girl Friday

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2:49

His Girl Friday

1940

1h 32m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

107 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When hard-charging New York newspaper editor Walter Burns discovers that his ex-wife, investigative reporter Hildy Johnson, has gotten engaged to milquetoast insurance agent Bruce Baldwin, he unsuccessfully tries to lure her away from tame domestic life with a story about the impending execution of convicted murderer Earl Williams. But when Hildy discovers Williams may be innocent, her reporter instincts take over.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by stellar performances from Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, His Girl Friday is possibly the definitive screwball romantic comedy.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Dec 23

5/5

Grant’s performance, full of ad libs, is a suave delight.

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Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

11/15/2022

The zingers don’t stop...

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Katherine Howard

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

10/14/2021

It is with a great deal of envy that this real Girl Friday reports on the reel Girl Friday who cavorts on the [screen in] His Girl Friday. We can only say: It must have been wonderful to work in the "dark ages" of newspapering.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Mar 7

9/10

The Front Page found a way to smuggle some feminism into the story without endangering its commercial prospects. The

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

Dec 23

A

There’s a moment where (Rosalind) Russell’s Hildy is standing in the doorway of the press room, trying to decide whether to stay or go...What she does with no words and just a few facial expressions and body movements is nothing short of miraculous.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

04/04/2023

4/4

One of the all-time great motion pictures -- if anyone ever elects to place a screwball comedy in a time capsule for 25th-century historians to analyze, it might as well be this one.

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Kim P

@RT98672688 Mar 22

A definite choice for the Mount Rushmore of screwball comedies, Grant and Russell are perfect! And seeing a young Ralph Bellamy is a hoot after last seeing him as Randolph Duke in Trading Places and a small part in Pretty Woman.

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chris h

@RT26751167 Dec 14

This movie hits on so many levels....the dialog is peak in cinema.Must see,great cast,script,everything to love about it.

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Patrick S

@PatrickStruik Dec 13

This must be the best screwball comedy i have ever seen.

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Steve L.

@Stevio Nov 29

Of its time and also timeless, with a frenetic script (gotta watch it again to catch more of the zingers) and a fine ensemble of character actors as the cynical reporters.

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Samuel M.

@KingofArmour Oct 28

Insanely quick dialogue and tons of funny lines that don't let you breathe.

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Wayne K

@RT88290232 Aug 14

Despite World War 2 being in full swing in 1940, with the Axis powers safely on the winning side, screwball comedies flourished in America, likely because people wanted something light and funny to distract them from what was going on in the wider world. Cary Grant is an actor you could likely never get tired of because he always knew where the limit was and never went too far over the top. In His Girl Friday his funniest moments come from the moments where he pretends to be playing things straight, but with his tongue firmly in his cheek. The rapid-fire dialogue and characters speaking over each was no doubt amusing and even revolutionary at the time but slightly grating when watched back years, especially because not enough of it is really funny. You’re basically wading through an avalanche of dialogue to get to whatever jokes there are. It’s an amusing story with lots of memorable twists, but I didn’t laugh enough to justify the energy the characters and the director was putting into it. I enjoyed it for sure, but not as much as I was expecting.

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Howard Hawks

Director

Cary Grant

Walter Burns

Rosalind Russell

Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson

Ralph Bellamy

Bruce Baldwin

Gene Lockhart

Sheriff Peter B. "Pinky"'Hartwell

Helen Mack

Mollie Malloy

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His Girl Friday: Trailer 1

2:49

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Synopsis

When hard-charging New York newspaper editor Walter Burns discovers that his ex-wife, investigative reporter Hildy Johnson, has gotten engaged to milquetoast insurance agent Bruce Baldwin, he unsuccessfully tries to lure her away from tame domestic life with a story about the impending execution of convicted murderer Earl Williams. But when Hildy discovers Williams may be innocent, her reporter instincts take over.

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Charles Lederer
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 30, 2014
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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