CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

HotToastyRag Woman of the Year is famous for many reasons, all of them falling under the heading of the off-screen romance it spawned. Katharine Hepburn, the famous feminist pioneer, and a married Spencer Tracy fell in love on the set, and their twenty-five year affair was one of the most famous Hollywood romances ever. Rumor has it that Katharine Hepburn's first words to her costar were that she was too tall for him, and Joe Mankiewicz reassured her, "Don't worry, honey. He'll soon cut you down to size." That quote sums up Woman of the Year perfectly.In the film, Kate and Spence clash during their first meeting. They work for the same newspaper and have different worldviews. Then, of course, they fall in love. In one famous scene, Spence takes her to a baseball game, and while he starts out having to explain every little detail to her about the rules, by the end, she's yelling herself hoarse and rooting for the right team. The meat of the film is a dramatic battle-of-the-sexes, much like their off-screen personas. Kate is a feminist at heart and doesn't want to change, even after she switches her role from woman to wife. Spence is an old-fashioned man and likes the gender roles the way they are. As the pair strives to remain a couple, they expose 1940s moviegoers to a new societal struggle: feminism.There are lots of reasons to rent this classic if you haven't yet seen it. It's a classic romance—films that involve an off-screen couple are always fun to watch—and it represents a very interesting cultural shift in the twentieth century. When the men were off fighting in WWII, women stayed home and, in essence, took over. They learned they could be breadwinners and have careers, and they enjoyed their independence. Gender roles and romantic responsibilities would never be the same again. Woman of the Year introduces that concept before the end of the war, warning audiences of the impending change.

jc-osms The first of several movies to feature the celebrated partnership of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn was this George Stevens-directed feature and an absolute delight it is. It works by treating both stars and their relationship as it became in real life, Tracy the older, "man's man", Hepburn, the flighty, more intellectual female, playing out a subtle battle of the sexes between themselves where in the final analysis both think they've won, but invariably, reflecting traditional, conservative and arguably chauvinistic mores of the day, it's Tracy who's character as here tends to win out. The well-known opening exchange between them in real-life, of the taller Hepburn pointing this out to Tracy to meet with the rejoinder "Don't worry, I'll soon cut you down to size" could inform the whole plot here, although it has to be said, it takes pretty much the whole of the movie to get there.What I like about Stevens' direction is the way he lets things play out almost it seems in real time, from the chaotic party at Hepburn's, all action news reporter Tess Harding's bursting-at-the-seams apartment, supposedly the site of her first date with Tracy's craggy, cynical sports reporter Sam Craig, then when Sam invites sports-virgin Tess to a US football game, to the couple's wedding night being hijacked by a high-profile Nazi- dissenting refugee statesman and his entourage arriving up at the near-silent final scene where Tess hilariously attempts to make Sam a conciliatory breakfast while he sleeps in his bachelor pad, after he's finally walked out on her.The two stars are marvellous, especially when they're together on the screen as signalled from their very first meeting as Tracy leeringly but guiltily eyes up Tess's leg from bottom to nearly the top as she straightens out her stocking seam. You really can see the chemistry sparking between them but even more than that you get to see two actors both with impeccable timing coupled with an obvious mutual respect, each allowing the other to fully play out scenes opposite one another.The two of them not unnaturally dominate the screen and unsurprisingly overpower the supporting actors in their wake, but one gets the feeling that's exactly what motivated director Stevens to make the film as he did. Witty, sharply observed and sorry to repeat myself, exquisitely played, this is an excellent film which happily led to one of the most productive movie-partnerships of Hollywood's Golden Age, in more ways than one.

zardoz-13 Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn are at it again, but this time they are print journalist at the same newspaper. He is Sam Craig, and he has a sports column. He engages in a feud with political activist Tess Harding (Katherine Hepburn) who is outspoken and has an opinion on everything. She can speak in many different tongues because she know everybody except Hitler. Strangely enough, the down-to-earth Craig is attracted to the highly unconventional Tess who behaves like a buoy in stormy seas. She is much sought after for her views and presence. One day Sam Craig proposes to her and he discovers that she lives in a kind of Grant Central Station. People flock into and out of her life and her personal secretary Gerald Howe (Dan Tobin) is constantly consulting with her. Sam realizes that he has an obstacle course to negotiate. Tess may be married but she doesn't see Sam as the most important person in her life. More often than not she is off gallivanting around at conventions, meetings, etc., to have any time to spend with poor Sam. The straw that breaks the camel's back comes in the form of a little boy that Tess adopts without Sam's consent. Tess has an important meeting to attend and insists that Sam accompany her. Sam is in no mood to accompany Tess much less leave the little boy, Chris (George Kezas), home alone to fend for himself. Sam wants to have a child with Tess, but Tess is too busy. Finally, Sam takes little Chris back to the relief agency where Tess found him and used him as publicity stunt. The problem is that Tess isn't behaving like a mature adult. After Sam returns Chris (and Chris is overjoyed to be reunited with his pals), Sam leaves Tess. As it turns out, Tess' estranged parents, Ellen (Fay Bainter) and William (Minor Watson), are having another wedding. Sam is off at a boxing championship and refuses to budge to see Tess' parents. While she is listening to the wedding ceremony, Tess realizes how insensitive that she has been and goes back to Sam. You can guess what happens in this predictable but entertaining romantic comedy set against the backdrop of World War II. Tracy and Hepburn are perfectly suited for one another.

writers_reign I've seen more or less all the films Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn made together but I hadn't seen this, their first pairing, until I stumbled across the DVD in a Sale bin today and after watching it it's a case of save the Best till last. I always thought the young Kate Hepburn was beautiful but never actually Radiant which is exactly what she is in the opening scenes. Either she had a knack for being cast in or else somehow scouted out wonderful feel-good romantic movies like Holiday and this one and how those hick distributors in the Mid-West could label her box-office poison is beyond comprehension. Though perfectly capable of lighting up the screen by herself she really shines with the right co-star like Cary Grant or, as here, Spencer Tracey and though - as others have pointed out - this isn't the greatest plot that ever came down the pike the two leading performances transcend anything and generate a wonderful glow. One to cherish.