Adam's Rib (1949)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jennifer D

  
  Review to come.

• AJ V

  
  Hepburn wants to start women's liberation in 1949! She and her husband are lawyers on opposing sides of a case which involves a man and a woman, and they get into a battle of the sexes. It's funny at times, and too silly at other times. Overall, pretty good, but it could… More
  Hepburn wants to start women's liberation in 1949! She and her husband are lawyers on opposing sides of a case which involves a man and a woman, and they get into a battle of the sexes. It's funny at times, and too silly at other times. Overall, pretty good, but it could have been better.

• Morgan S

  
  Great Classic movie. Kathrine and Specer and dynomite on screen together! I love watching them perform! ;) If you havent checked out this witty damadey you should!

• First L

  
  Two married lawyers each represent a side in a domestic abuse case in this pre-feminist "battle of the sexes" movie. A woman follows her two-timing husband and blindly fires at him and his mistress, wounding the husband. Lawyer Adam feels it's a cut-and-dried murder… More
  Two married lawyers each represent a side in a domestic abuse case in this pre-feminist "battle of the sexes" movie. A woman follows her two-timing husband and blindly fires at him and his mistress, wounding the husband. Lawyer Adam feels it's a cut-and-dried murder case, and he intends to uphold the law. Lawyer Amanda feels it's a double standard, that a man acting out of passion and shooting at a wife and her lover wouldn't get an attempted murder rap. It's a sign of a well-written movie that both sides of the argument are so well-thought out. The husband and wife are upscale intellectuals, a 50/50 marriage, but the trial slowly begins to corrode their marriage. It doesn't help when songwriter, across-the-hall neighbor Kip is pretty blatently throwing himself at Amanda. He evens writes a song about her that becomes an overnight hit, much to Adam's chagrin. The interaction between Tracy and Hepburn is at times, brilliant. Watching Tracy slowly burn as Hepburn's enraged idealism prevents him from getting a word in edgewise is one of the movie's best moments. The courtroom aspect is not so out of line as to be unbelievable, (even for the 1940s), and the proto-feminist message is surprisingly realistic (especially for the 1940s). "Adam's Rib" is a genuine classic, and probably the best of the Tracy-Hepburn movies.

• Drew S

  
  Energetic and surprisingly free of period romance tropes, Adam's Rib has aged beautifully. It's not the most memorable movie in the world, but it's certainly worth watching.

• xGary X

  
  The fact that Hepburn and Tracey are in a film is reason enough to watch it, but this is a particularly good example. A courtroom comedy based on gender politics, the main drawback is obviously in it's age. Sexual politics have clearly progressed somewhat since this was made to… More
  The fact that Hepburn and Tracey are in a film is reason enough to watch it, but this is a particularly good example. A courtroom comedy based on gender politics, the main drawback is obviously in it's age. Sexual politics have clearly progressed somewhat since this was made to the original conceit of the woman scorned having the right to shoot her cheating husband just does not hold up today; the characters involved in the case are all 2 dimensional stereotypes, but that is really just an excuse for Hepburn and Tracey's sparklingly witty exchanges. There are some amusing moments of farce, but it is the intelligence of the writing that raises this above the usual screwball comedy. They are a remarkably believable couple, and unlike the rest of the film, the scenes when they are alone together have not dated at all. Best of all it constantly surprises; just when you think it's going to settle into the usual cliches, it throws another curve ball (including the fact that Hepburn's male admirer is clearly as gay as a window!) Classic comedy from one the the all-time great screen partnerships.

• Jennifer X

  
  riotously funny and classic battle of the sexes. my second katharine hepburn film but certainly not my last. she never fails to impress me. i was surprised to see her matched against such an old spencer tracy but she makes it work, and the sexual tension is surprisingly believable! i… More
  riotously funny and classic battle of the sexes. my second katharine hepburn film but certainly not my last. she never fails to impress me. i was surprised to see her matched against such an old spencer tracy but she makes it work, and the sexual tension is surprisingly believable! i was singing "farewell amanda" through the day and the next. the ending is fantastic and weirdly enough one of my favorite movie endings of all time. it's light years ahead of its time and fantastically clever. top notch dialogue.

• Dannielle A

  
  A hilarious story about a husband and wife who are both lawyers defending opposing sides of a woman who shot her husband because he was cheating on her. There are many funny parts but I think it could even be better... but in the script only, because every other aspect is perfect.

• Cinema F

  
  What is good for the goose is good for the gander. In the atmosphere of post-World War 2, the social structure was slowly changing in the US regarding male dominance in the workplace and at home. This battle-of-the-sexes comedy film has been an inspiration for countless other films… More
  What is good for the goose is good for the gander. In the atmosphere of post-World War 2, the social structure was slowly changing in the US regarding male dominance in the workplace and at home. This battle-of-the-sexes comedy film has been an inspiration for countless other films and television series about combative but sexually combustible couples. When sweet,ditsy blonde Doris Attinger is charged with the attempted murder of her two-timing husband, proto-feminist lawyer amanda "Pinkie" Bonner (Hepburn) agrees to defend her. But Amanda's husband, Adam "Pinky" Bonner (Tracy), is the prosecuting attorney, and their courtroom rivalry quickly extends into the bedroom. Thus, in court we have not only the case in question, but also the roles of husband and wife under examination. The case unexpectedly turns into a battle of the sexes in which the married lawyers attempt to outdo each other using sharp-tounged and trenchant phrases in dialogues that are brilliantly crafted. Hepburn's combative show in court--forever an inspiration to lady lawyers-to-be matches with Tracy's frothed indignation at her tactics and principles. Highlights include brainy Amanda's cross-examinations and the spectacle of Adam tearfully getting in touch with his feminine side to get his way back into his wife's good graces. Still crackling with wonderful performances, witty dialogue and spirited discussion of double standards and sexual stereotypes, critics still find this flick as arguably the best of Tracy-Hepburn team. Seriously, lawyers should never marry other lawyers.

• Sunil J

  
  A hilarious and clever courtroom drama with a husband and wife defending opposing sides.

• Marion R

  
  A very enjoyable watch. Had some nice moments. Hepburn and Tracy have a great on-screen presence.

• Jojo S

  
  Excellent clash of drama with excellent plot equals an unequaled classic of all time. Watch Tracy and Hepburn as husband and wife (They were married in real life!) going about a sensitive law suit targeting the social issue and issues between them.

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