Alice Adams

Alice Adams (1935)

  • 93% of critics liked it
    (15 reviews)

  • 69% of users liked it
    (2,326 ratings)

The misadventures of two social-climbing women in small town America.

Play Trailer

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Dorothy Yost, Mortimer Offner, Jane Murfin
Genres
Drama, Romance, Classics
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1935 Wide
On DVD
Jan 7, 2003
Turner Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    That George Stevens' direction captures the wistfulness of Katharine Hepburn's superb histrionism, and yet has not sacrificed audience values at the altar of too much drabness and prosaic realism, is an achievement of no small order.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    Stevens's talent for stepping away from the plotline and creating intimate, casual, and naturalistic moments is given plenty of opportunity here, as it would not be in his later superproductions.

  • Andre Sennwald, New York Times

    An oddly exciting blend of tenderness, comedy and realistic despair, it touches life intimately at many points during its account of a lonely girl in a typical American small town.

  • Tom Milne, Time Out

    Hepburn is magnificent as the small-town social climber, although the script so softens Booth Tarkington's novel.

  • Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

    Stevens' deadpan-humane approach dilutes the acid of Booth Tarkington's social critique

Read all 13 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

  • Universal D


    Booth Tarkington's book about class distinctions came out in 1922. The George Stevens' movie in 1935. As I write its 2013. That's a lot of water under the bridge, as they say. Kate Hepburn's character, a young woman desperate to bridge the class gulf society… More

  • AJ V


    A nice little slice of life drama of a poor girl who dreams her family is wealthy and important. Of course, the ending is predictable as most romantic movies are, but it's still an enjoyable drama.

  • jay n


    the definition of a gentle film

  • John B


    Although Katherine Hepburn is noted for her later films with Spender Tracy, I actually like her performances in the 30s better. This film and the original version of Little Women are some of the best performances that Katherine ever gave.

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Cast

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