His Girl Friday Synopsis: A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
When journalist Walter Burns finds out his ex-wife and fellow reporter, Hildy, is getting married and moving away, he sets into motion a plan to get her to stay, resulting in a farcical jumble of events that find Hildy and Walter chasing the story of a wrongly convicted man about to be put to death while dealing with Hildy’s fiancĆ© and a corrupt Sheriff and Mayor.
His Girl Friday was such a fun film. After watching it, I learned that director Howard Hawks had set out to break the record for the fastest film dialogue. Apparently, His Girl Friday was one of the first films to include overlapping dialogue. I suppose this movie inspired Gilmore Girls. Am I right?
The dialogue is fast-paced, but it’s also sharp and witty. Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant go toe-to-toe in every scene they share, and it’s magic to watch. Even the supporting characters are up to the task. Sometimes, it’s a bit of a whirlwind to keep up, but it’s a hell of an adventure.
This is a romantic screwball comedy if I’ve ever seen one. Grant and Russell give spectacular performances as former spouses who obviously still love one another. But there are no sweeping declarations or grand gestures. It’s a very straightforward romantic comedy with very little character development. One would think that would be bad, but I didn’t mind it all that much. I was so caught up in the story’s breakneck speed that I barely registered the movie’s flaws… of which there are very few.
I’ve been so used to seeing Cary Grant as a suave leading man, but, dang, he is funny. His character isn’t necessarily the one you would want Hildy to be with. Her fiancĆ©, Bruce, is kind, loves her, and has a good job and a promising future. In most modern rom-coms, Hildy would end up with Bruce. Walter is ambitious, conniving, and maybe lacking empathy… but he’s the one with whom Hildy has the history and the chemistry, so their possible reunion makes perfect sense. Rosalind Russell may have been Howard Hawks’s 6th…7th?… choice to play Hildy, but she was excellent, bringing a lot of tenacity and grit to the role.
A few subplots don’t really get resolved, but the focus is on Walter and Hildy, so as long as their relationship finds closure, the movie itself finds closure. I laughed out loud several times, impressed by how witty the script was. The direction and performances of all involved genuinely bring it all together, creating one of the more definitive romantic comedies in the genre’s history. If you are a romantic comedy lover, then His Girl Friday is a must-watch. I’m already itching to watch it again.
Watched: 06/02/2022
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