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The Front Page

The Front Page

Comedy · 1974

Ruthless Chicago newspaper editor Walter Burns resorts to dubious motives in order to get top reporter Hildy Johnson to cover one more big crime story before retirement.

Movie details

The Front Page

“It's the hottest story since the Chicago fire...and they're sitting on it.”

1974 Comedy 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

Ruthless Chicago newspaper editor Walter Burns resorts to dubious motives in order to get top reporter Hildy Johnson to cover one more big crime story before retirement.

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 Front Page?

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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Addams Family Values

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Tommy Boy

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The Great Outdoors

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It's vacation time for outdoorsy Chicago man Chet Ripley, along with his wife, Connie, and their two kids, Buck and Ben. But a serene weekend of fishing at a Wisconsin lakeside cabin gets crashed by Connie's obnoxious brother-in-law, Roman Craig, his wife, Kate, and the couple's two daughters. As the excursion wears on, the Ripleys find themselves at odds with the stuffy Craig family.

Dumb and Dumber

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Comedy · 1994

Lloyd and Harry are two men whose stupidity is really indescribable. When Mary, a beautiful woman, loses an important suitcase with money before she leaves for Aspen, the two friends (who have found the suitcase) decide to return it to her. After some "adventures" they finally get to Aspen where, using the lost money they live it up and fight for Mary's heart.

Carry On Nurse

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Analyze This

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Comedy · 1999

Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerful Mafia racketeer who suffers from panic attacks. When Paul Vitti needs help dealing with his role in the "family," unlucky shrink Dr. Ben Sobel is given just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn him into a happy, well-adjusted gangster.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Billy Wilder

Written by

Billy Wilder · I. A. L. Diamond

Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon

Hildebrand Johnson

Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau

Walter Burns

Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon

Peggy Grant

Vincent Gardenia

Vincent Gardenia

Sheriff

David Wayne

David Wayne

Roy Bensinger

Allen Garfield

Allen Garfield

Kruger

Austin Pendleton

Austin Pendleton

Earl Williams

Court is in session

Put The Front Page on trial.

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

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.