Classically plotted and performed. The plot is almost nothing here, its all about letting the actors do their thing.

Funny storyline, great acting and wonderful chemistry between the actors. Virginia Weidler has the breakout performance in the movie showcasing both her acting and musical talents. She goes toe to toe with Hepburn in the funniest scene in the movie. Full of fun!

Sparkling acting with a bit of a dumb plot. Honestly the best performance I've seen from James Stewart.

Tracy… more like thricey. 🤭

A fun time with hefty star power - always a good choice to have running in the background - if you're the type to have classics running in the background - btw what was Hepburns' diet in those days?

Grant and Stweart, my two favorite XXs actors, performing a great captivating story with an unexpected outcome.

Screwball comedy perfection

Stewart deserved his awards and all the stars are wonderful, but Katharine Hepburn is phenomenal in this film.

doesn't get any better than this

This is one of the granddaddies of the modern romantic comedy, and even 80 years later, it leaves most of its successors in the dust. Witty, charming and intelligent, it's such a pleasure to watch a movie fueled by the strength of its dialogue. And what words they are! This is based on a play, and one of my few minor quibbles is that it does feel stagy from time to time, but it just sparkles! The cast is uniformly iconic, from the leads to small supporting parts. Interestingly, Stewart is the one who won the Oscar for this film, but the sun rises and sets around Hepburn here, and she is glorious. People tend to forget that she was a brilliant comedienne, and she is radiant here. Some may question the twist at the end, and it's frankly not necessarily the way I wanted things to go, but this is an old fashioned fairy tale. If nothing else, this is a fascinating study of how the romantic comedy genre has changed the last 80 years. You might have to watch it twice just to appreciate the dialogue, much of which is delivered at a machine-gun like pace.

THIS is class! Some of the greatest stars of the era engage us in a bright engaging story with humor and wit.

Just not for me. The entire thing felt forced. All of the dialog is said like its a one liner from a stand up comedian. Nothing about it was funny. Very dated movie.

It may be difficult to imagine now, but in 1938 and 1939, Katharine Hepburn was extremely unpopular with Hollywood and with the American public. A string of box office failures, coupled with her abrasive and combative behavior with the press and fans, had garnered her a reputation for being extremely arrogant. Seeking to reignite her career she returned to the stage, starring in a new play by Philip Barry. That play was The Philadelphia Story. She would perform the role of socialite Tracy Lord in two tours and on Broadway for over a year. When Hollywood decided to produce the play as a movie, Hepburn had already purchased the rights to the story (thanks to help from Howard Hughes), so she was guaranteed the role. Teaming with Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart for the movie version of the play, Hepburn's shrewd selection of this vehicle paid off. The Philadelphia Story would become one of the biggest movies of 1940, and Hepburn's career and public perception were back on track. Tracy is a divorcee living with her parents and her precocious younger sister, and she is engaged to be married again. This go-around she will marry George Kittredge, a dull businessman who dotes on her but who is out of place in the world of wealth which Tracy is accustomed to. When word of the wedding gets out, the publisher of Spy Magazine sends reporter Mike Connor (Stewart) and his girlfriend, photographer Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey), to cover it. To help facilitate getting Mike and Liz the inside scoop, the publisher is sending another employee of Spy Magazine with them. That employee is C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), Tracy Lord's first husband! This is screwball comedy at its finest. Hepburn is at the top of her game as she plays cat-and-mouse with Mike and Liz when they first meet Tracy. Soon, it becomes unclear who Tracy will end up with, as she discovers the depths of reporter Mike which she wasn't expecting. The two of them share a drunken evening together, the night before her wedding is supposed to take place. And of course, her feelings for her first husband are also reignited. While you know from the get-go that Tracy is never going to marry George… what you don't know is who she will end up with, or if she will end up with anyone at all. The suspense of how the tale will end beautifully lasts right up to the last few minutes of the movie. This is one of those truly iconic films that every true movie buff should see. It's one I'm disappointed I never made time for in the past. It is also one I will most certainly watch again. This is an undeniably perfect marriage of comedy storytelling, filmmaking, and acting.

This movie has always been in my top five - maybe even top 3. Rotten Tomatoes is spot on with a 100% rating. Extremely funny. The scene between Cary Grant and a ‘drunk' Jimmy Stewart is hilarious. Grant was truly trying not to break character when you see him smile & start to laugh at Stewart. Very ‘tongue in cheek' humor that is never meant to be taken seriously. If you do take it seriously, you have sadly missed the entire point of the movie.

The banter in many movies from the 40s rings contrived and a little dated. Not so here. The dialog is intelligent and sharp with good acting performances all around.

The Philadelphia Story was a curious choice of film for reviving the flagging fortunes of its lead star, Katharine Hepburn. It seems hard to believe now, but in the 1930s she was widely regarded as box office poison. Films such as Bringing Up Baby and Holiday are highly-regarded today, but were unpopular at the time. Undaunted, Hepburn sought to make a comeback by buying the film rights to a stage play in which she had starred with some success. That film was The Philadelphia Story. She recruited the talented director of ‘woman's films' (as he was labelled, rather against his wishes), George Cukor. Cukor had previously directed Hepburn in a number of films. The film also boasted a star cast, including Cary Grant and James Stewart. However it was essentially a vehicle for Hepburn to regain her fame. With her standing quite low at the time, Hepburn agreed to waive her salary and take 45% of the profits instead. Her gamble paid off. The Philadelphia Story was the fifth most popular film of the year, and Hepburn secured an Oscar nomination. Of course the movie in many ways played to Hepburn's strengths. She was playing a haughty but vulnerable rich woman, not unlike herself. Nonetheless the philosophy of the film was one that was very different from that of the progressive Hepburn. The Philadelphia Story is an amusing movie that has a wonderful cast on sparkling form and a capable director. It also expresses a socially conservative outlook on life. Usually the movies come down on the side of the underdog, perhaps with a canny understanding that most of the audience for the film will not be particularly wealthy. Here is a film that takes the side of the rich, a side that hardly needs defending, many might feel. Has there ever been a movie that contains so much dialogue in which so many men get to criticise a woman for being too independent? Tracy receives some criticism from the women in her family, but most of it comes from the men. Tracy's father blames his womanising on his daughter, a position that she indignantly denies at first, but which appears to be supported by the film. Before the story ends, it is she who apologises to him for being a disappointment, and a reconciliation between daughter and father is established, but on his terms. Dexter too condemns Tracy's behaviour. Never mind his alcoholism. It is Tracy who was the problem in their marriage. "She's a girl who's generous to a fault," Dexter says satirically; "Except to other people's faults. For instance, she never had any understanding of my deep and gorgeous thirst." Some would feel that living with an alcoholic is a difficult task for any woman, but in the world of The Philadelphia Story, it is evidence that Tracy "finds human imperfection unforgivable". A running theme in this criticism is the perceived lack of femininity in Tracy. "I used to be afraid of that look – the withering glance of the goddess," Dexter sneers. Similarly he suggests that she expected his role in the marriage to be that of a "high priest to a virgin goddess". He suggests she belongs to a special class of "married maidens". In describing the attitudes towards class and gender in The Philadelphia Story, I may have presented a dry picture of a film with hopelessly outdated and objectionable views, that can have no appeal to the modern viewer. In fact this is not the case. Allowing for a few troubling passages of dialogue, the film still seems fresh and lively today, and it is a pleasure to watch. The film's problematic criticisms of Tracy Lord's strong personality and lack of conventional femininity have not prevented the film from being loved by women as well as men. The film may staunchly defend the virtues of the upper class, but it remains appealing to people from all backgrounds. How can that be? The enduring charm of a movie relies on its finding something that all people can find relatable. In the case of The Philadelphia Story, there are a number of redeeming qualities. There is the star appeal of Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart, all performing at the top of their abilities. There is the literate and humorous script that brings the characters to life. The message of the film too has something universal about it. The film rightly recognises that the good qualities of a person transcend class, and it calls on people to learn to forgive others, and to be understanding of human weakness. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Philadelphia Story on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2020/10/09/2788/

The acting is excellent. While Grant is very good in this the movie belongs too Hepburn & Stewart who have excellent chemistry and are bubbly and charming together in every scene. The rest of the supporting cast is good also. Overall the acting is phenomenal. The music is the one weak point, while its good when used it isn't used enough. Which makes it a big surprise that this never comes across as dry. This is actually excellently paced. The firs bit just throws us into the plot and than we get back story on everyone. While this is a bit jarring at first once Hepburn & Stewart start interacting the film never lets up and builds perfectly. The editing is excellent also weaving effortlessly between the 3 love interests, Hepburn, and the writing story. The writing story surprisingly becomes a subplot and the romance takes over. The cinematography is excellent. While this the camerawork is solid but nothing special and in black and white it manages to shine because of the memorable setting and amazing chemistry of the leads and the beauty of Hepburn is always in focus. Add in witty dialogue and some light hearted humor and each scene lights up with charm especially as things progress. The only knocks I can give this is I wish it had more music, and a little more development between Connor and Smith but that's about it. Everyone should give this a try once.

Contrary to the claim that Katherine Hepburn's character Tracy makes that she is human: the truth is that she IS a goddess! Add to this effervescent comedy Cary Grant and his combination of endearing vulnerability, empathy, quick-wit and easy)- and we have ourselves two towering performances in an excellent production that is rich in everything that matters. And I haven't even mentioned James Stewart yet.

My favorite movie of all time. The dialogue could almost have been written today.

Stewarts best performance!