Adam's Rib

Adam's Rib (1949)

  • 100% of critics liked it
    (25 reviews)

  • 84% of users liked it
    (10,148 ratings)

Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Adam's Rib is a peerless comedy predicated on the double standard. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play Adam and Amanda Bonner, a husband-and-wife attorney team, both drawn to a case of attempted murder. The defendant (Judy Holliday) had tearfully… More

Play Trailer

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin
Genres
Romance, Classics, Comedy
In Theaters
Nov 18, 1949 Wide
MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Penelope Gilliatt, New Yorker

    Katharine Hepburn conveys an extraordinary abundance of spirit.

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Adam's Rib is a bright comedy success, belting over a succession of sophisticated laughs.

  • , Chicago Reader

    The film is a classic, and deservedly so: the conjunction of Tracy's sly listlessness and Hepburn's stridency defines 'chemistry' in the movies.

  • Tom Milne, Time Out

    The performances (not least from Wayne and Hagen) are matchless.

  • Bosley Crowther, New York Times

    Of Adam's Rib we might say...that it isn't solid food but it certainly is meaty and juicy and comically nourishing.

Read all 15 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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!

  • Devon B


    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

  • 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.

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

Currently unavailable on Flixster

Also available on

UltraViolet Retailers

Other Retailers

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (35)

Trailers & Clips