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The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story

Comedy · Romance · 1940

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

Movie details

The Philadelphia Story

“Broadway's howling year-run comedy hit of the snooty society beauty who slipped and fell - IN LOVE!”

1940 Comedy · Romance 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Philadelphia Story?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Front Page

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

George Cukor

Written by

Donald Ogden Stewart · Waldo Salt

Cary Grant

Cary Grant

C.K. Dexter Haven

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn

Tracy Lord

James Stewart

James Stewart

Macaulay 'Mike' Connor

Ruth Hussey

Ruth Hussey

Elizabeth 'Liz' Imbrie

John Howard

John Howard

George Kittredge

Roland Young

Roland Young

Uncle Willie

John Halliday

John Halliday

Seth Lord

Court is in session

Put The Philadelphia Story on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.