Bringing Up Baby (1938) directed by Howard Hawks
Bringing Up Baby is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the screwball comedy. While it is an enjoyable film, I think I have to disagree. I have to watch more of these kind of films but so far I'm partial to My Man Godfredy and a different Hawks-Grant collaboration, His Girl Friday. The main problem I have with Bringing Up Baby is that I spent most of the time being annoyed at Katherine Hepburn's character, which is kind of silly since it's almost the same kind of zany woman in My Man Godfrey. Hepburn's character Susan though is so over the top and loud I found it hard to stomach at times. But there are of course other moments where she shines. Paired with Cary Grant, the two do have a sparkling chemistry. Throw a leopard and a dog into the mix and you have wacky almost-gold.
Cary Grant plays David Huxley, a paleontologist who is trying to win over a wealthy millionaire to donate money to the museum. Somewhere along the way he runs into Katherine Hepburn's character Susan Vance, an eccentric hurricane of trouble. Susan's wacky antics both intrigue and befuddle David and he spends much of the movie rueing the day he ever met her as she throws a wrench into both his personal and professional life. It goes without saying a romance will ensue despite the fact that he has legitimate reasons to hate her. It is sort of similar to My Man Godfrey in this way, a zany socialite woman who annoys the crap out an ordinary guy to the point where he realizes he loves her. Is this how romance happens in real life? Is this why they say it's a thin line between love and hate?
Susan tricks David into helping her drive her pet leopard Baby (yes you read that right, a leopard) to her Connecticut home. Needless to say, more wackiness ensues. If adding in a random wild animal doesn't epitomize the word screwball, then I don't know what does. How funny you think the film is really depends on whether or not you find Susan's characteristics endearing or annoying. I suppose it is meant to be both, but I found it weighted too heavily on the annoying side at times. But other times she displays remarkable charm and comic delivery. She is helped by some witty one liners that rapid fire screwball comedies are known for. Perhaps my favorite line: [reading letter about her new leopard] "'He's three years old, gentle as a kitten, and likes dogs.' I wonder whether Mark means that he eats dogs or is fond of them?"
But best of all is the interplay between Susan and David as they share plenty of witty banter, most of which emphasize what a mess she's made for David. Speaking of which, Cary Grant turns in a great performance as David, playing the exacerbated object of Susan's desires to the tee. Overall this is a solid lightweight comedy. I hesitate to call it great when I couldn't really get in tune with Hepburn's character, even if Grant's character could.
Grade: B
Bringing Up Baby is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the screwball comedy. While it is an enjoyable film, I think I have to disagree. I have to watch more of these kind of films but so far I'm partial to My Man Godfredy and a different Hawks-Grant collaboration, His Girl Friday. The main problem I have with Bringing Up Baby is that I spent most of the time being annoyed at Katherine Hepburn's character, which is kind of silly since it's almost the same kind of zany woman in My Man Godfrey. Hepburn's character Susan though is so over the top and loud I found it hard to stomach at times. But there are of course other moments where she shines. Paired with Cary Grant, the two do have a sparkling chemistry. Throw a leopard and a dog into the mix and you have wacky almost-gold.
Cary Grant plays David Huxley, a paleontologist who is trying to win over a wealthy millionaire to donate money to the museum. Somewhere along the way he runs into Katherine Hepburn's character Susan Vance, an eccentric hurricane of trouble. Susan's wacky antics both intrigue and befuddle David and he spends much of the movie rueing the day he ever met her as she throws a wrench into both his personal and professional life. It goes without saying a romance will ensue despite the fact that he has legitimate reasons to hate her. It is sort of similar to My Man Godfrey in this way, a zany socialite woman who annoys the crap out an ordinary guy to the point where he realizes he loves her. Is this how romance happens in real life? Is this why they say it's a thin line between love and hate?
Susan tricks David into helping her drive her pet leopard Baby (yes you read that right, a leopard) to her Connecticut home. Needless to say, more wackiness ensues. If adding in a random wild animal doesn't epitomize the word screwball, then I don't know what does. How funny you think the film is really depends on whether or not you find Susan's characteristics endearing or annoying. I suppose it is meant to be both, but I found it weighted too heavily on the annoying side at times. But other times she displays remarkable charm and comic delivery. She is helped by some witty one liners that rapid fire screwball comedies are known for. Perhaps my favorite line: [reading letter about her new leopard] "'He's three years old, gentle as a kitten, and likes dogs.' I wonder whether Mark means that he eats dogs or is fond of them?"
But best of all is the interplay between Susan and David as they share plenty of witty banter, most of which emphasize what a mess she's made for David. Speaking of which, Cary Grant turns in a great performance as David, playing the exacerbated object of Susan's desires to the tee. Overall this is a solid lightweight comedy. I hesitate to call it great when I couldn't really get in tune with Hepburn's character, even if Grant's character could.
Grade: B
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