Critic Reviews
Philadelphia Story, The (1940) Rank 3 Reviews
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based on (63) reviews
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DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
The fact is, after a promising start in movies, Katharine Hepburn was thought difficult to work with and declared "box-office poison" following the financial disappointment of "Bringing Up Baby" in 1938. It could have spelled the end of her career. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
Film-Forward.com (DVD review)
The Philadelphia Story is a classic example of Katharine Hepburn's star quality. Funnily enough, it was James Stewart who won the one acting Academy Award the film received. Hepburn plays Tracy Lord, a divorced heiress preparing for her second wedding. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Film-Forward.com (DVD review)
DVD Times
What exactly does it mean when they say 'they don't make 'em like that anymore''? Usually it's in reference to movies of the 30s, 40s and 50s, movies like 'Casablanca', 'The Maltese Falcon' or, indeed, 'The Philadelphia Story'. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at DVD Times
UpcomingDiscs.com (David Annandale)
Reluctant scandal-mag reporter James Stewart and photographer Ruth Hussey are sent to infiltrate and report on the upcoming marriage of New England aristocrat Katharine Hepburn. They are brought into the house by Hepburn's first husband, Cary Grant. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at UpcomingDiscs.com (David Annandale)
Not Coming to a Theater Near You (Matt Bailey)
If I could only watch the movies of one actor for the rest of my life, I would choose the work of Cary Grant without a moment's hesitation. He made films in all kinds of genres and he turned in fantastic performances in just about all of them. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Not Coming to a Theater Near You (Matt Bailey)
All Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)
We open on Philadelphia socialite C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) as he's being tossed out of his palatial home by his wife, Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Adding insult to injury, Tracy breaks one of C.K.'s precious golf clubs. He gallantly responds by ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at All Movie Guide (Dan Jardine)
Filmchaw (Andrew Moxon)
The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) is an intelligent, sophisticated, classic romantic comedy-farce (part screwball) of love and marriage, human growth and class distinctions. Its screenplay is a witty, sparkling, and bright adaptation of Philip Barry's ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)
culturevulture.net (Ben Stephens)
Whenever conversation turns to film comedies, someone will invariably make the comment that the fast-paced comedies of the 1930s and 1940s represent a high water mark in the history of the genre. While this ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at culturevulture.net (Ben Stephens)
DVDJournal.com (Mark Bourne)
If, quoth Fitzgerald, the rich are different from you and me, then in The Philadelphia Story that's because they're wittier, better-looking, and screwed up in more entertaining ways. This 1940 comedy of high society and its discontents remains funny and ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at DVDJournal.com (Mark Bourne)
Exclaim! (--)
According to Saunier, Deerhoof live a charmed life. "The kind of response our music got always exceeded my expectations. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Exclaim! (--)
Slant Magazine - DVD Review
he's a haughty and demanding Philadelphia heiress; he's an arrogant playboy. The Katharine Hepburn-Cary Grant pairing in The Philadelphia Story pits these two forces against one another. Those scenes highlight their effortless charisma and singular ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Slant Magazine - DVD Review
BBC Films
Recently divorced from the charismatic but deeply unreliable playboy Dexter Haven (Grant), Philadelphia heiress and full-time ice-maiden Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is about to tie the knot again. Her next groom, George (Howard), is the respectable, considerate ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at BBC Films
Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
More of an oddball comedy than a screwball comedy, The Philadelphia Story's gender politics haven't aged exceptionally well even if its laughs have done okay. Certainly, the film's main attraction is the ensemble of Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Movie Martyr (Jeremy Heilman)
Movie Mirror
C. K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) leaves Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn). Two years later Tracy plans to wed George Kittredge (John Howard). Her younger sister Dinah Lord (Virginia Weidler) likes Dexter better. George has trouble mounting a horse. Sidney ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Movie Mirror
DVD Verdict (Dan Mancini)
You have to give Katharine Hepburn credit. She was one smart cookie. When her venture into screen comedy in Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby was a box office dud, the final straw in a string of disappointing movies, she retreated to a stage comedy ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at DVD Verdict (Dan Mancini)
MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
The plot here centers on wealthy socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) on the eve of her second wedding. She had been married to C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), but their relationship was volatile and they divorced. The day before the wedding, Haven brings two ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
Crazy for Cinema
In their fourth and final onscreen pairing, Grant and Hepburn are joined for the first and only time by Jimmy Stewart. It's amazing that their careers didn't cross again in light of the prodigious film output of all three actors. Directed by George ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Crazy for Cinema
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
A seamless comedy about a priggish, upper-crust beauty who finally gets her comeuppance and learns some tolerance. ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
The correct answer is "The Philadelphia Story".
This film asks the question, should Katherine
Hepburn cancel the wedding with uptight John
Howard, and instead marry awkward writer Jimmy
Stewart, or perhaps meddlesome ex-husband Cary
Grant? Anyone ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
Just when Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn), a snooty upper class divorcee, thinks she has left her past behind her and can move on in life, she is revisited by her ex husband who plans to ruin all the plans she's made. Two years earlier, Tracy was married ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
James Davis Nicoll
I checked out the local video store last night, hoping to pick up a good action flick. Some jerkwad had already rented I COME IN PEACE and MARKED FOR DEATH, but next to the recent releases shelf, was a shelf labeled "classics" (old films). I *like* old ...read the complete Philadelphia Story movie review at James Davis Nicoll
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