Only a couple of days away from his wedding, David Huxley, an uptight paleontologist, meets Susan Vance, a carefree heiress, and finds himself being pulled unwittingly into Susan’s quirky world.
A box office bomb when it premiered, Bringing Up Baby has since become quite the classic and one of the genre’s most celebrated films. This was my first time watching the movie, and I found it to be utterly charming.
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant have lovely on-screen chemistry, which may be why they starred in four movies together. Hepburn’s quick-witted, reckless heiress perfectly matches Grant’s by-the-book paleontologist. Sure, they try to make Grant seem like a nerd by giving him a pair of glasses, but it doesn’t really deviate from his attractiveness at all.
Grant’s comedic talent is fully displayed here, and Hepburn plays Susan with effervescent gusto. It has become one of my favorite roles of hers. Yes, I couldn’t help but think perhaps Susan was something of a manic pixie dream girl – yes, they existed even in the 1930s – but at least Hepburn is talented and charismatic enough to make the archetype a lovable free spirit who is easy to root for.
“How can all these things happen to just one person?”
Director Howard Hawks’s career spanned four decades. While I still have many of his movies to watch, I adored His Girl Friday, also starring Cary Grant, so it’s no surprise that Bringing Up Baby was just as fun, funny, and romantic. Hawks’s brisk but balanced film pacing means there’s never a dull moment. It seems both actors had a lot of fun with their roles, and yes, their characters do find themselves in some ridiculous situations, but that’s the joy of a screwball comedy. The more foolish the premise, the better.
My only gripe with the film, which is minor, is that the ending is a bit too drawn out. It’s played for laughs, but the jokes and misunderstandings continue for a touch too long. I was ready for it to wrap up and get on with things.
Bringing Up Baby is a definite must-see, especially for fans of Old Hollywood. I’m not a big fan of the “they don’t make ’em like they used to” crowd, but with Hepburn and Grant on screen, it’s so easy to see why their star power remains legendary even today.
Watched: 11/04/2022
Notable Song:
