Adam's Rib (1949) User Reviews

"I Love Licorice"

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 6 November 2005]

Feminist attorney Katharine Hepburn has a new cause. She freely admits to doing a bit of ambulance chasing to get the case of Judy Holliday who shot her husband Tom Ewell after catching him in a love nest with floozy Jean Hagen.

Problem is that of all the cases that he could have been assigned, Spencer Tracy, Hepburn's husband and assistant District Attorney, he got assigned to prosecute Holiday. I guess Spence felt a little of what Bogey felt when Ingrid Bergman came back into his life in Casablanca.

Men down through the ages have certainly had the right to shoot the lovers of their wives when caught, why not women argues Hepburn. The case gets quite a bit of notoriety and of course it puts a strain on the marriage.

But the plot is sure the right vehicle for a lot of great lines and situations. This is Spence and Kate at their very best. Of the comedies they did, this is my favorite, just like State of the Union is my favorite among the more serious films.

Probably Adam's Rib's best known scene is when defense witness Hope Emerson picks up Spencer Tracy in a visual attempt to show feminine prowess and power. Even after seeing it several times you still will laugh yourself silly.

For Adam's Rib, George Cukor denuded Broadway of stars to play in support of Tracy and Hepburn. Making film debuts were David Wayne, Tom Ewell, Judy Holliday, and Jean Hagen.

Wayne is particularly funny and if Adam's Rib was made today, he'd certainly be more explicitly gay. He's the next door neighbor of Spence and Kate and some of the cracks Tracy aims in his direction would be considered downright homophobic. But let's face it, Wayne is an obnoxious scamp and that bit of vengeance that Tracy wreaks upon him and Hepburn in the climax involving licorice is a great cinematic moment.

Adam's Rib is Tracy and Hepburn at the very top of their game and I think folks who are not necessarily fans of their's would be amused.

Pleasant mid century skirmish in the sexual wars

[DennisLittrell · 8/10 · 26 January 2000]

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

Two New York lawyers, husband Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) and wife Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn), work out the marital tension and fight the sexual wars in the courtroom on opposite sides of a wife (Judy Holliday) shoots cheating husband (Tom Ewell) case. Adam's masculinity is seemingly challenged and his sense of justice offended by his wife's insistence on showing how smart she is while furthering her feminist agenda at the expense of the law. Will their public confrontation destroy their marriage, or will it ultimately make the bond stronger?

This still plays mainly because of the charisma of Hepburn and Tracy and the fine chemistry they create together. The script by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon is shallow and profound by turns, yet ultimately witty and pleasing. Judy Holliday as the lower middle-class Doris Attinger (on her way to her signature role in Born Yesterday (1950)) and David Wayne, as the song-writing neighbor who adores Amanda, shine in supporting roles. George Cukor's direction is clear, crisp and always focused. In the end we can see that Adam can be as feminine as Amanda can be masculine. The bit where Tracy cries real tears to win her back and then tells her, "We all have our tricks" is classic. It's his clever answer to her outrageous courtroom theatrics. Memorable as it illuminates their contrasting personalities is the early scene where the unsophisticated Doris is interviewed by Yale law school grad Amanda.

As a political movie, was Adam's Rib ahead of its time as a vehicle for feminist expression, or was it just another apology for male chauvinism, or was it balanced and fair? I'll give you a hint: the title is ironic. One of the things that made the Tracy/Hepburn romance work so well for so long was the creative balance they maintained in the battle of the sexes. The script by Kanin and Gordon carefully continues that profoundly true equilibrium.

Cheeky magnetic romp saying far more than was thought back in the day.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 4 March 2008]

Adam's Rib turned out to be a delightfully cheeky romp with a kicker sense of humour, all acted out with ease by Spencer Tracy & Katherine Hepburn. I love how the film veers from the courtroom right into their marital home and becomes not just about a battle of wills, but a battle of the sexes as well, much fun watching this famous couple go at each other, both at work and at home. The film benefits greatly from the appearance of the lovely Judy Holliday in her breakthrough role, and it amused me greatly to see David Wayne playing a shifty character as I remember him fondly from the Twilight Zone episode Escape Clause in 1959. 8/10

The Best of Hepburn and Tracy

[swayland7 · 9/10 · 8 October 2004]

Of the nine films which paired Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, Adam's Rib is often considered the best. Writers Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin were friends of the famous couple and wrote the film specifically for them. Kate insisted the film be directed by her favorite screen director, George Cukor, who services the brilliant writing and on-screen chemistry with his trademark elegant staging and unobtrusive style. The result is a comedy that remains the best "battle of the sexes" films ever made.

When Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) discovers her husband in the arms of another woman, she opens fire and is charged with attempted murder. Enter Adam and Amanda Bonner (Tracy and Hepburn), married lawyers whose lives are turned upside down when Adam is assigned to the prosecution. An ardent proponent of women's rights, Amanda decides to represent Doris, claiming that if the sex of the parties on trial were switched, the jury would feel differently. This conflict of interests creates friction in the courtroom as well as the Bonners' home.

Spencer Tracy, with his confident and relaxed screen presence, paints Adam as a man quite comfortable with his wife's force and ambition. But Adam grows upset with Amanda as the media spotlight finds the case and magnifies it into a cause for women's rights. He accuses Amanda with disregard for the law, reminding her that no one, man or woman, has the right to take the law into their own hands, and that Amanda is using the case for her own selfish purposes. The script is careful not to polarize Adam's interests. He reveres the law and has no special affection for Doris' husband. In opposing him, Katherine Hepburn manages to retain her signature strength while also portraying Amanda as a loving wife who fears the damage her marriage may sustain because of the case and its publicity. Amanda alleges that Doris is doomed to an unfair trial because the general public irrationally feels male infidelity is much more permissible than female infidelity.

The courtroom becomes a spectacle when Amanda puts a circus strong-woman on the stand and asks her to lift Adam. Tracy rises to the occasion, with an angry outburst that is empowered by his otherwise calm and restrained performance. Despite their marital bliss before the case, Adam admits that he likes "two sexes" and doesn't care for having a wife who is a "new woman" and a "competitor". This rare outpouring causes Amanda to realize just how personally Adam is taking the trial, and that it could result in their divorce.

Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin deserve special recognition for creating a balanced on-screen battle in what has always been a controversial debate - gender equality. Amanda's plight is shaded by her experiences as a woman, and Adam is presented as a man who admits to always trying to hear her side of the story. That their marriage was a happy one before the trial is an indication of the equality they had achieved together. Amanda is, in fact, equal to Adam in both the career and financial worlds. To create a sparring partner for Amanda, Gordon and Kanin could easily have presented a misogynist, or even a lovable but cantankerous traditionalist. They were wiser to portray Adam as a man who simply refused to see the case as one for gender equality, but for vigilantism.

As directed by George Cukor, Adam's Rib features a great many long takes that play uninterrupted. Even during moments of action, like the scene in which both Bonners are getting dressed for dinner, Cukor utilizes minimal staging and camera movement. The camera points directly across the Bonners' bedroom, with her dressing room off frame left and his off frame right. They shout at each other, poking their heads into the frame, occasionally walking through the frame and back again. And later, when Adam discovers Kip and Amanda together, the ensuing fight is framed similarly, with the camera looking down the apartment hallway, characters popping into frame from the left or right and back again. This isn't to say Cukor doesn't move his camera much. There are several decisive camera movements, but Cukor's sparing use of them, and his tendency to rely more on well-composed master angles gives the film an elegant, traditional Hollywood style. The film also benefits from a lively score by Mikos Rozsa and a catchy Cole Porter tune, "Farewell Amanda". Jean Hagen, unforgettable for her comic turn in Singin' in the Rain, again demonstrates her talent for comedy as the "other woman".

Cukor must have realized that with Tracy and Hepburn on screen, all the camera really had to do was follow them, frame them, and let the sparks fly.

The screenplay and the actors' off-screen romance are gifts to the film. We feel for both of them, and believe in what both are trying to achieve. It is rare that a film about difference and equality plays so fairly to all parties involved, and also rare that such a sensitive subject can retain its comic appeal. But for all the film says about equality, Adam's Rib ultimately serves to remind us that when it comes to Hepburn and Tracy, there is no equal. - Scott Schirmer

Classic 'Battle of the Sexes' is a Sheer Joy!

[cariart · 17 August 2003]

'Adam's Rib' is arguably the greatest Tracy-Hepburn film, and is certainly the most popular of their teamings. Brightly written (by the husband and wife team of Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin), it takes the premise of a wife (the sparkling Judy Holliday, in her film debut) on trial for shooting her unfaithful husband (Tom Ewell, establishing himself in the kind of role he'd reprise in The Seven-Year Itch), and turns it into a forum of the sexual values and standards of the 1940s, and a showcase for the fabulous Tracy and Hepburn, who were were never better than as the battling D.A. and defense attorney. In the courtroom and out, the love they share, and tweaking of each other's egos is a sheer joy to watch. That the story is also a knowing commentary about women's inequality under the law makes the film even more topical today, and doesn't reduce the film's enjoyment value at all. It is a VERY funny film, and can be enjoyed at MANY levels!

In addition to Holliday and Ewell, the supporting cast includes the terrific David Wayne as a smarmy songwriter-neighbor who covets Hepburn, and 'writes' the ditty 'Goodbye, Amanda' for her (actually composed by Cole Porter, Hepburn's character's name in the film was changed to Amanda, to fit the song!)

Among the many wonderful scenes of the film are the 'home movie', which accurately reflected much of Tracy and Hepburn's own relationship; the infamous massage scene ("I know a slap...!"); the circus 'Strong Woman', demonstrating that women can be as physically powerful as men by lifting the panicking Tracy over her head easily (in the middle of the courtroom!); the infamous licorice-gun confrontation as Tracy confronts Hepburn with Wayne; and Tracy's crying-on-demand revelation.

'Adam's Rib' is a film which never seems to age, but just gets better and better!

Adam's Rib (1949) ****

[JoeKarlosi · 10/10 · 17 February 2005]

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn make fireworks in this cute film about a well-to-do married couple who both happen to be lawyers. Hepburn is a die-hard Woman's Rights supporter, so when a ditzy lady is charged with shooting her husband after catching him being unfaithful, Kate decides to take her case and defend her. The trouble is, old-fashioned husband Tracy is already penciled in as the prosecuting attorney. Let the Battle of the Sexes begin!

The script sets up a great opportunity to have Tracy and Hepburn sparring with one another during every phase of the trial, as well as at home every night after they've spent each day trying to outwit each other. As a comedy, there aren't any huge belly-laughs, but it's a charming enough little take on the differences between men and women which also manages to make the point that, in many ways, the sexes aren't really all that different when all is said and done.

**** out of ****

Stunning and watchable classic comedy with Tracy and Hepburn in sparkling form , adding strong secondary cast

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 28 July 2021]

Stars Spencer Tracy as assistant District Lawyer and Katharine Hepburn as defender Advocate in Law whose marriage comes under strain when they encounter themselves on opposing sides in court . Adam is prosecuting a high-profile case in which a woman : Judy Holliday is accused of attempting to kill her philandering husband : Tom Ewell by gunning him . Amanda acting as her defense attorney , and the sparring starts . It Will Tickle Your Funny Bone ! .WHO WEARS THE PANTS? .You'll split your sides laughing! . It's The Hilarious Answer To Who Wears The Pants! Funniest Picture in 10 Years!

An amusing classical comedy about War of the Sexes , including entertaining events , funny incidents , disconcerting situations and lots of fun . The screen team of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn was always marvellous , but never more so than in this vintage comedy . As husband and wife lawyers on opposing sides of the same criminal case , they remind us of what film magic is really all about . Competently directed by George Cukor and it is still a masterpiece of its kind . The supporting interpretations by Judy Hollyday as the lady accused of shooting her husband played by the sympathetic Tom Ewell , Jean Hagen as his lover , David Wayne as a songwriter with none-too honourable designs and especially Home Emerson as a bouncing witness greatly add to the fun .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography in Black and White by George J. Folsey and also available in a horrible colorized version . As well as lively and attractive musical score by Miklós Rózsa . The motion picture was compellingly directed by George Cukor who has the comedy under perfect control . Cukor was one of the best Hollywood directors shooting a great number of successful and classic films with penchant for melodrama , comedy and musical , such as : David Copperfield , Margarita Gautier , Little Women , Adam's Rib, Born Yesterday, The Women, Corn is Green, Dinner at Eight , Les Girls , Gaslight , A Star is Born, Holiday , My Fair Lady , Heller in Pink Tights , I Should Happen to you , What price Hollywood? , Double Life , Woman's Face , Rich and Famous and this Philadelphia Story . Rating : 7/10 . The picture will appeal to Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy fans . Well worth watching . Above average . Essential and indispensable seeing.

Certainly tickled my funny bone

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 30 December 2018]

It is always hard to not get excited to see something that you'd heard nothing but great things about. That was certainly the case with 'Adam's Rib'. Have loved a lot of Spencer Tracy's and Katharine Hepburn's performances and their partnership/chemistry is nothing short of legendary, can never get enough of seeing them together. Also like to love quite a number of the films directed by George Cukor.

Tracy and Hepburn starred in nine films together (this, 'Woman of the Year', 'Keeper of the Flame', 'Without Love', 'The Sea of Grass', 'State of the Union', 'Pat and Mike', 'Desk Set' and 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'), three of which also directed by Cukor (this, 'Keeper of the Flame' and 'Pat and Mike'). My first Tracy and Hepburn film was 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner', which still holds up as a great film and deservedly one of the more famous collaborations, but if there was a vote for their best film on my part 'Adam's Rib' would be it. It is a wonderful film that is among the most entertaining films seen in a while, is one of Cukor's best and is one of the quintessential films bordering around the battle of the sexes, its wit and sophistication hard to beat.

Both stars give performances of a lifetime in roles that couldn't have been more perfect fits. Appreciated Tracy's subtlety while Hepburn plays hers to the hilt and lives it, furthermore their chemistry is at its most sparkling. More than up to their level is the star-making turn from Judy Holliday, very nearly stealing the show. All the cast are on top form but it's all about Tracy, Hepburn and Holliday.

Cukor's direction is some of his most subtle, yet it always engages and is at ease with the material. Also think it's some of his best and shows a master at work at the peaks of his powers. 'Adam's Rib' is beautifully filmed too and the story is ceaselessly compelling from the first second to the last, opposing sides in court has seldom entertained or thought provoked as much as it does here.

Alongside the lead performances, the other star of 'Adam's Rib' is the script. The sparkling wit, knowing sharpness and thought-provoking sophistication helped earn it a deserved Oscar nomination and it would have been a more than worthy win if released in a different year to the script that won for 'Sunset Boulevard' (deservedly). It is amazing too that the battle of the sexes/sexual politics is still pertinent and relevant now, which goes to show how well it has stood the test of time and easy to relate to.

Overall, a wonderful film that brings the best out of Tracy, Hepburn, Holliday and Cukor. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Well-acted and written but talk about dated!

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 2 January 2011]

Two married lawyers--Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn) and Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy)--find themselves opposing each other in court. She's defending Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) who accidentally shot her husband (Tom Ewell) for cheating on her. He is trying to paint her as a cold-blooded killer. The case starts affecting their marriage badly.

This has won a lot of acclaim as being the first movie that Hepburn and Tracy starred in. It's easy to see why--they worked together brilliantly. They acted as a perfectly married couple believably and their sparring with each other crackled. Also the script is well-written (and Oscar nominated). David Wayne was fun (if a little bit overbearing) as their next door neighbor and Holliday was excellent in her small role. Even better is Hope Emerson who stops the show with her antics in a courtroom. But, other than that, I didn't really like it.

The sexual politics in here are incredibly dated! I do realize that I have to see this movie as a product of its time (1949) and that it was daring back then--but some of it was so blatantly offensive (to women) that I had trouble keeping that in mind. I found the remarks that it was OK to punch a woman down as more than a little troubling. Even worse Tracy and Hepburn spend the second half of the movie screaming at each other nonstop and the courtroom antics go WAY over the top! Also the boring Cole Porter tune "Farewell Amanda" is played again and again and AGAIN till you want to scream! So--mostly because of the sexual politics--I can truthfully only give this a 6. Hepburn and Tracy are fantastic but even their considerable acting gifts can't make one forget the sick sexism in the script.

A husband and wife write the perfect screenplay for a husband and wife battle in court.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 25 December 2020]

The war between men and women has some very funny elements in it, and the writing team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon put together a deliciously funny story about what happens when careers overlap and conflict. Working together to create a script on that subject is ironic, and this ends up being one of the first comedies to show how conflict can erupt and how hypocrisies occur when the situations in court end up seeming to be in the home of the prosecuting attorney and the defense attorney.

A deliciously sly opening has put upon wife Judy Holliday following husband Tom Ewell around downtown Manhattan, eventually catching him with his girlfriend, Jean Hagen. She shoots at him indiscriminately, having earlier been looking at the instruction booklet for the gun when she began to shoot random rounds. Assistant district attorney Spencer Tracy is assigned the prosecuting job, and feeling that the wife deserves her chance in court, his wife, Katherine Kepburn, signs on as her attorney. If this isn't cause for issues to occur in a home, then there's no cause for any divorce anywhere.

The funny thing about this film is that I rooted for everybody involved, from the dizzy Holliday to the victim (Ewell) to the mistress (Hagen) and especially to Hepburn and Tracy. There's even a best friend, David Wayne, who seems to be in love with Hepburn himself although certain clues indicate that he's not really interested in anything past writing songs about her. His antics make him seem like a combination of Noel Coward, Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter, and he's quite funny.

Having a male and a female writer and a male and female protagonist, you'd think that there would be a point of view in the battle of the sexes. But what the script really indicates is that both genders are missed up and in spite of being tops in the law field, Tracy and Hepburn play characters who have a lot of baggage.

Funny cameos by veteran character actress Polly Moran and a delightful Hope Emerson (doing backflips in court and lifting Tracy up in a hysterical sequence) add to the fun. This film seems as fresh 70 years after it was released as it did when Tracy and Hepburn were at their height, and it is definitely their best film together. Director George Cukor scores another classic for his resume, one of dozens.

Mr and Mrs Pinky

[Spuzzlightyear · 7/10 · 25 July 2005]

Adam's Rib is quite an interesting movie soley based on it's premise and actors alone. Let's see, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn playing dueling lawyers on a case about a woman who may have shot at her philandering husband. Kate believes she's not guilty, because the husband got what was coming to him cheating on his poor wife!. So, um, where does that place Hepburn and Tracy in real life? One of the more famous adulterous pairs in history are playing dueling lawyers fighting over a case of a woman who may or may not have shot at her husband because he was cheating? Hmm interesting. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie. Hepburn and Tracy are one of the most famous screen couples in history, and this proves it. Their repartee is amazing here. Also worth noting is the supporting cast, with of course, Judy Holliday in her screen debut as the wife of the philandering husband, and also David Wayne as the staple gay character (After all, this IS a George Cukor movie) All in all, one of the more famous comedies of the 1950;s.

This is what Tracy/Hepburn comedies are all about.

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 13 June 2005]

Sometimes in life, we experience the most embarrassing situations. But no matter how embarrassing these situations are, they can't possibly be as whacked-out as what the characters in "Adam's Rib" experience.

It all begins when Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) shoots her husband Warren (Tom Ewell) after she finds him cheating on her. She is promptly arrested for attempted murder. High-priced lawyer Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) is assigned to represent Warren in court. However, Adam's wife Amanda (Katharine Hepburn) finds it despicable that a woman was arrested for punishing her unfaithful husband, and decides to represent Doris in court.

Well, as you can imagine, with husband and wife on opposite sides of the trial, things get a little crazy. It only makes sense that they can't help but maintain their spousal attitudes towards each other while in court (especially under the table). But even Amanda starts to find Adam unpleasant for defending Warren, and she plays a few tricks on him in court, namely with a very muscular woman.

One thing that you have to wonder after seeing a movie this good is: how did Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin come up with such a great story? Well, the point is that they did. It focuses not only on sexism, but also on how the whole trial is affecting their marriage.

Anyway, the point is that in my opinion, "Adam's Rib" should have won Best Picture for 1949. Perfect.

A Lawyer's Nightmare

[gamay9 · 6/10 · 11 February 2014]

Obviously, the actors carry this film. To an ex-judge, like me, it is laughable for all the wrong reasons. Adam is an inept prosecutor, but one has to remember that the courts were less punitive in the 40's than today. That's why we have prison over-crowding. Prison is a business. In 2014, the defendant would have likely been convicted of reckless endangerment at the very least. But, I realize this is a typical Tracy/Hepburn comedy and realism is unimportant, albeit feminism is very important. Katherine always wore the pants, literally and figuratively.

My favorite scene is when the Hope Emerson character lifts Adam up in the air, then gently returns him to the floor. This is the defendant's ploy to prove that females can be strong.

Amanda's Lib...

[Xstal · 5/10 · 5 August 2023]

It's a world where dinosaurs wandered and roamed, where relics of the past controlled, forced and owned, where there was one rule for the males, that left the ladies to avail, an imbalance that was well beyond the pale. With ignorance and blindness as foundations, if you didn't play the game you got privations, but with added jeopardy, as you're the fairer sex you see, don't levitate ideas above their station.

It's all a bit dated and not especially funny but the two leads keep you engaged to a point and manage to drag you to the end where you're thankful to return to a world that probably hasn't moved on as much as you'd like.

As good as it gets

[mls4182 · 10/10 · 22 July 2022]

Probably the best teaming of Hepburn and Tracy thanks to the superb writing of Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin.. Lets not forget the superb direction of George Cukor.

This film made some bold statements but it did it with great wit and humor. Now Hollywood beats you over the head trying to make a point.

Impressive but erratic battle-of-the-sexes comedy

[rick_7 · 8 April 2010]

Adam's Rib (George Cukor, 1949) is often hailed as the best "battle-of-the-sexes" comedy on celluloid, but it's beset with the same problems as the bulk of these Tracy-Hepburn vehicles: dated social observation that's tricky to navigate today, a lack of laughs and dramatic sequences that are just too heavy. The leads are a blissfully married couple who clash when they take opposing sides in a murder trial: assistant DA Spence leads the prosecution of wronged wife Judy Holliday (who is magnificent), while crusading feminist Kate leaps to her defence. Holliday plugged philandering husband Tom Ewell, you see, then fired wildly around the flinching floozy he was nuzzling up to, Jean Hagen.

The acting is absolutely stunning - universally superb - and there's smart use of newspaper inserts and a puppet show motif, but the material is spotty and chunky, with humour arriving in slabs rather than being weaved through the narrative. Kudos to former stage star David Wayne (he played Og in the smash Broadway version of Finian's Rainbow) for being so formidably irritating as Hepburn's extremely camp confidante and suitor. His reading of Cole Porter's specially adapted song Farewell, Amanda is a rare moment of respite in a teeming sea of annoyance. Hepburn asked her favourite director, Cukor, to favour Holliday in the filming of their scenes and leaked stories to the press about Judy's revelatory performance enraging both the leads. The ploy was designed to land her apprentice the lead in the screen adaptation of Born Yesterday, which she had initiated on stage. It worked - and she took home the Best Actress Oscar the following year.

As for Adam's Rib, it's impressive and memorable but, despite all that, resolutely not a classic.

Sparring attorneys

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 20 March 2005]

"Adam's Rib", directed by George Cukor, and with a screenplay by Ruth Ford and Garson Kanin, was one of the happiest films the two stars did together. Mr. Cukor knew how to direct this couple, and it shows. There are no false moments in a movie.

The rivalry between Adam Bonner and Amanda, his wife, comes to a head as they both get involved in a criminal case. Adam, as an Assistant D.A. is assigned to it. Amanda, as a successful trial lawyer, decides to get involved in it because she believes Doris Attinger acted in a moment of madness.

This film was ahead of its time because Amanda questions the right of a woman to be judged the same way as a man, something the penal system seemed to ignore. Doris Attinger is a woman that has had enough with the philandering husband that appears to have fallen out of love with her. Warren Attinger doesn't care who he hurts, until Doris decides to take the matter into her own hands.

Katherine Hepburn shows an impeccable delivery as Amanda Bonner. She has an inner beauty that shines and make her glow. Ms. Hepburn was at the top of her career just about then and it shows. Spencer Tracy is Ms. Hepburn's match as the D.A. prosecuting the case. Mr. Tracy is delightful to watch in their scenes together. He has such a mischievous presence that endeared him to us in anything he played.

The revelation in this film was Judy Holliday. As Doris, the accused woman, she shows talent beyond imagination. In a way, it is sad to realize this amazing actress didn't live to make it even bigger in the movies. She was a natural and she is a joy to watch in the film. Lucky are we to be able to see her best work preserved for posterity.

In minor roles David Wayne plays Kip Lurie, a Broadway composer. He is an annoying neighbor who admires Amanda, much to Adam's chagrin. Kip has written a song that becomes popular, "Dear Amanda", that is heard throughout the movie. Also, in the cast Jean Hagen, Eve March, and Hope Emerson who are effective in their roles.

Thanks to George Cukor, Ruth Ford and Garson Kanin for bringing this enjoyable comedy to the screen. Above all, thanks to Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn for playing the Bonners.

Tried to prove that the sexes are equal. Really? Seventy three (73) years later not much has changed.

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 3 March 2022]

Take it for what it was. This is classified as a Comedy/Romance but in reality this could have been a wake up call for the Female sex to not accept a secondary role in most if not all professions. To this very day, women have continued to express their disappointment in this still being a man's world. Of course there are physical differences between men and women.

Women can birth children but men cannot. That is until the 1994 comedy film Junior starring Arnold Schwarzenegger proved otherwise. Then there is that false belief that men are naturally stronger than woman that is until the physically strong(er) and agile actress Hope Emerson performed a series of courtroom somersaults and lifted Spencer Tracy over her head in this 1949 film Adam's Rib.

There were some excellent scenes such as Hope Emerson's physical and acrobatic feats, and later in the film when Spencer Tracy catches his wife Katherine Hepburn in the arms of his neighbor actor David Wayne. The film ended on a light and happy note but the underlying message of equality between men and women is still waiting to be achieved. For the record, I am a 66 year old heterosexual male without any cross to burn.

I liked the film and I give it a decent 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Clever, humane comedy

[Spleen · 10/10 · 26 June 2000]

For a while it seems that "Adam's Rib" will be hard to take. More precisely: Katharine Hepburn's Amanda is hard to take. Her feminism - when put to the test - amounts to little more than anthem singing; and however sympathetic her client may be, we can see at once that the case for the defence is almost entirely frivolous. Yet George Cukor is standing in the gallery, apparently cheering her on. It's infuriating. It's like watching an Edwardian comedy about suffragettes.

Well, no. The film is a good deal smarter than we had given it credit for being ... oh, very well, smarter than *I* had given it credit for being. Gordon, Kanin and Cukor understand our infuriation; the supposedly shrill dispute in the first half is merely a starting point. Maybe audiences these days AREN'T too sophisticated for this kind of film. Maybe we're too stupid. (Oh, very well, maybe I'M too stupid.) -In any event, this is really a story about Adam and Amanda. Their story becomes deeper as the trial becomes shallower.

Even while it's infuriating us (our infuriation will be used to good effect later, of course) "Adam's Rib" is never less than pleasant to watch. One reason is that Hepburn and Tracy are just so brilliant. The script serves them both well: neither player is denied good lines, and any impression that Hepburn is meant to be just some hothead, or that Tracy is meant to be just some schmuck, is transitory. This is a wonderful script! My only previous exposure to Hepburn and Tracy had been in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", where their partnership was the only thing holding the film together; I wasn't at all prepared for the sheer energy they generate when they set to work on stronger material. Moreover they seem perfectly natural as a married couple.

The music is good, too. There's a catchy original song (not a gratuitous addition ... although it wouldn't matter if it was) by Cole Porter; the rest of the score was written by Miklós Rózsa, in one of his rare lighter moments.

Battle of the sexes

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 3 September 2014]

Adam (Spencer Tracy) and Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn) are husband and wife lawyers who end up on the opposite sides of a case. Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) follows her husband Warren (Tom Ewell) to his mistresses' apartment and shoots him. Adam is assigned to prosecute the wife and Amanda comes to her defense.

The drawback for this rom-com is that they start off as already married. The point of most rom-coms is to bring the leads together. This one has to break them apart before getting them back together. Tracy and Hepburn have good chemistry together and have some good exchanges. They are fun together and well served by this vehicle. It's more of a movie about sex equality. The courtcase isn't very convincing. The movie outside of the Tracy Hepburn duo isn't that compelling. This is just simply about watching this classic team.

Like Watching Two Master Pianists Play -- Refreshing, from Before Feminism Became the Vogue

[faterson · 9/10 · 3 May 2012]

What a pleasure it is to observe supreme artists doing what they're doing best, when they're in top shape! That's exactly what you get while watching _Adam's Rib_ -- a vehicle written specifically for the talents of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (gloriously attractive, and showing off her slender waist, at 42 years of age) by their personal friends, no less fabulous screenwriters Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. Add the light touch of master director George Cukor; add four delightfully competent performances by the four secondary cast members Judy Holliday (in her first big film role), Tom Ewell (hilarious and giving you a glimpse of what would come later in _The Seven Year Itch_), Jean Hagen (of _Singin' in the Rain_ fame) and David Wayne -- and what could possibly go wrong? Nothing. The script is extremely sophisticated -- it's truly an accomplishment when an actor can get the audience to laugh by uttering a single meaningful, forceful syllable in between extended periods of silence: "Once!", like Spencer Tracy does during one of his quarrels with Hepburn. Like all great comedies, _Adam's Rib_ is great in that it is not really a pure comedy; when you see Tracy flaring in anger against Hepburn, and vice versa, you can see that the characters' emotions and life convictions, behind the anger, are as real as in any dramatic film. Similarly, Judy Holliday gives a finely tuned performance as the abused wife; she is both funny to look at and pitiable at the same time. And, the final family reunion scene can warm the viewers' hearts like no pure comedy could if its only intention were just to go straight for the laughs. Yes, the battle of sexes may appear dated in 2012 when viewed in its late 1940s variety -- but the battle of sexes is ongoing as we speak, and so the movie still has a lot to say today. Very nice black-and-white cinematography, too, particularly in the New York street scenes; a beautifully captured period piece! _Adam's Rib_ is perhaps not the very pinnacle of artistic achievement, but it's definitely a prime exhibit of the Art of Comedy.

Pinky vs Pinkie

[pumping_iron-1 · 9/10 · 12 June 2023]

What can I say. It's Tracy and Hepburn, the best Hollywood couple on-screen. Their chemistry is palpable. Their fondness for each other lights up the screen. They never fail to entertain me. I expect the best and they always deliver.

Adam and Amanda Bonner (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn), both attorneys, are on opposite sides of a case where a woman (Judy Holliday as Doris Attinger) shoots and injures her philandering husband (Tom Ewell as Warren Attinger).

Adam, ( Assistant District Attorney) believes that the law is the law and there are no gray areas, and no one has the right to break the law for any reason. Amanda, (Defense Attorney) sets out to show that there are gray areas in the law and that the law is applied unequally and unjustly to women.

Both Judy Holliday and Tom Ewell give great performances. Doris Attinger draws sympathy as the abused wife and primary caretaker of her children. Warren Attinger makes you wonder what planet he lives on as he feels that a married man has the right to do whatever he wants to do, and that men and women are not equal.

Despite the serious topic, this is a funny and entertaining movie.

Fun Gender War

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 31 August 2015]

Domestic and professional tensions mount when a husband (Spencer Tracy) and wife (Kate Hepburn) work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband.

Kate Hepburn may be the worst actress who ever lived. She is definitely the most irritating actress who ever lived. But, despite this, the movie actually comes out rather entertaining. The gender war is interesting, and the equal rights idea never gets old (especially in a time before women were strongly in the work force beyond being war replacements).

An odd thing, though, is how Hepburn's character (Amanda Bonner) seems to want to raise women up, but she comes down very hard on the woman who was breaking up a marriage. This seemed off. First, because it conflicts with the pro-woman theme. But second, it is the husband's responsibility to be faithful, not an outside party's role.

Pinkie

[AAdaSC · 5/10 · 10 August 2013]

Lawyers Spencer Tracy (Adam) and Katharine Hepburn (Amanda) spend the film on opposite sides during the trial of Judy Holliday (Mrs Attinger) who is up on a charge of attempted murder after she shoots her husband Tom Ewell (Mr Attinger). Given that the film is a comedy, it can only really end one way for Judy Holliday.

Tracy and Hepburn undoubtedly work well together but the film has occasions where these two characters talk across each other and it just seems too shouty. It may be realistic but it certainly is not entertaining. Hepburn tends to over-exaggerate and lay on the dramatics when she acts and Spencer Tracy is clearly the better actor of the two. Actually, the best character is that played by Tom Ewell. He steals the film in all his scenes because he is genuinely funny. Judy Holliday is good if you can get past her terrible voice but musician neighbour David Wayne (Kip) is awful – not in the fact that he is meant to be an annoying character, but in the fact that he doesn't know how to convincingly portray a realistic person. He plays it gay one minute, then straight another minute, he's rubbish at acting. Nothing about his character rings true.

At the heart of the film is Hepburn's ridiculous notion about women's lib and some sort of feminist ideals – you know, the sort of thing that makes women annoying. Face the facts Hepburn, Judy Holliday had just tried to kill someone for goodness sake – it's got nothing to do with gender!

It's certainly a watchable film with some amusing parts (mainly with Tom Ewell), and some annoying parts (Katharine Hepburn and every appearance of David Wayne), and overall, it's more annoying than funny. Certainly not a classic as people seem to believe because they are told that it is. Everyone has done better.

Not as dramatic, engaging or funny as has been suggested but the lead pair make it well worth seeing

[bob the moo · 29 May 2005]

Adam and Amanda Bonner are happily married, despite the sparky nature of their relationship. Lawyers each, both are interested in a newspaper report of a woman who shot (but not killed) her husband when she discovered him in the arms of another woman. The Bonner's take differing views of the case and it is no surprise that Adam ends up prosecuting while Amanda is Doris Attinger's defence counsel. With the gloves off in the courtroom with a legal battle of sexual equality, it is no surprise that the conflict and disagreements don't end at the front door and soon it is all kicking off.

The issue of sexual equality may have moved on from where it was in the middle of the last century but this film occasionally hits an interesting point, even if the majority of it is fairly shallow and a bit unconvincing in terms of legal argument. Without really engaging me, the film still held my interest as the story developed and it was fairly enjoyable even if it couldn't settle on whether or not it is a comedy or a courtroom "issue" drama; as it was I didn't think it did either brilliantly but did both well enough to make it work. I did expect more laughs because I thought it was going to be one of the screwball genre, but once I realised that it was more amusing than funny then I was able to settle into it.

One of the main reasons that the film has continued to last down the years is the chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn. Both are convincing as a couple in terms of romance, attrition, chemistry and other aspects of their relationship on screen. Tracy is tetchy and enjoyable but Hepburn is more than a match for him and she does it with style and real humour. Support is good from Holliday as well as Wayne's annoying neighbour. Mainly though it is Tracy and Hepburn's movie and they more than carry it between them.

Overall though this is not quite the classic that I had hoped it would be but it still did enough to make it work today. The courtroom stuff is not as dramatic or as relevant as it may have once been and the comedy is more of the sharp variety than the laugh-out-loud sort; however the chemistry between the lead two keeps it going and makes it worth seeing still.