The Philadelphia Story was nominated for Best Picture of 1940. It's a witty movie with three great lead performances from Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant (he's making a lot of appearances on this blog, isn't he?). Allegedly, it marked Hepburn's return to prominence as an actor after several years of being labeled "box office poison." She's very charming here, as are her two male co-stars.
It's a love story. Hepburn's Tracy Lord is about to be married when her ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant) shows up with a tabloid reporter, Macauley Connor (Stewart). Tracy soon realizes that she is in love, to varying degrees, of course, with three men. The film charts the dilemma she faces and the method she uses to make her choice. There's a lot of smart verbal sparring here, and even members of the excellent supporting cast (my favorite being Ruth Hussey as the photographer Liz Imbrie) have a chance to get a good zinger in every now and then.
I wish I could say that I loved this film. It's always listed as one of the best romantic comedies ever made, and it's on many people's lists of favorite films of all time. I do like it, certainly. It has a sharp script and strong acting. It just seems a bit cold or distant to me. Perhaps it's because it deals with such old-money types (although I've certainly enjoyed other movies about the idle rich). Or maybe it's because the chemistry seems "off" a bit between Hepburn and her co-stars, despite their considerable acting talents. I don't know. Everyone seems so smart and clever in this movie, and yet it all seems so artificial in some way. I realize this assessment will likely mean that I'm forced to watch Dances with Wolves until I change my mind, and perhaps subsequent viewings of The Philadelphia Story will cure me instead, but at this point, this isn't one of the best films that I've managed to see since starting this project.
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