Adam's Rib (1949)
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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 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 attempted to shoot her husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen). Adam argues that the case is open and shut, but Amanda points out that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of "the unwritten law." Thus it is that Adam works on behalf of the prosecution, while Amanda defends the accused woman. The trial turns into a media circus, while the Bonners' home life suffers. Adam's Rib represented the film debuts of New York-based actors Jean Hagen, Tom Ewell, and David Wayne (as Hepburn's erstwhile songwriting suitor), and the return to Hollywood of Judy Holliday after her Born Yesterday triumph. One of the best of the Tracy-Hepburn efforts, it inspired a brief 1973 TV series starring Ken Howard and Blythe Danner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- George Cukor
- Written By
- Ruth Gordon, Garson Kanin
- Genres
- Romance, Classics, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 18, 1949 Wide
- Studio
- MGM Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Penelope Gilliatt, New Yorker
Katharine Hepburn conveys an extraordinary abundance of spirit.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Adam's Rib is a bright comedy success, belting over a succession of sophisticated laughs.
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, 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.
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Tom Milne, Time Out
The performances (not least from Wayne and Hagen) are matchless.
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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.
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)
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Cast
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Spencer Tracy
as Adam Bonner
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Katharine Hepburn
as Amanda Bonner
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Judy Holliday
as Doris Attinger
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Tom Ewell
as Warren Attinger
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David Wayne
as Kip Lurie
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Jean Hagen
as Beryl Caighn
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Hope Emerson
as Olympia La Pere
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Eve March
as Grace
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Clarence Kolb
as Judge Reiser
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Emerson Treacy
as Jules Fr-ikke
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Will Wright
as Judge Marcasson
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Elizabeth Flournoy
as Dr. Margaret Brodeigh
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Charles Bastin
as Asst. District Attorney
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Madge Blake
as Mrs. Bonner
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David Clarke
as Roy
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Sidney Dubin
as Amanda's Assistant
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Rex Evans
as Fat Man
- Glen B. Gallagher
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Marvin Kaplan
as Court Stenographer
- George Magrill
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Louis Mason
as Elevator Operator
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Polly Moran
as Mrs. McGrath
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Anna Q. Nilsson
as Mrs. Poynter
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Paula Raymond
as Emerald
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Bill Self
as Benjamin Klausner
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Ray Walker
as Photographer
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Marjorie Wood
as Mrs. Marcasson
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John Maxwell
as Court Clerk
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Tommy Noonan
as Reporter
- Gil Patric
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Lester Luther
as Judge Poynter
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Harry Cody
as Criminal Attorney
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Bert Davidson
as Subway Guard
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Joseph E. Bernard
as Mr. Bonner
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James Nolan
as Dave


