Review Bringing Up Baby [VHS]

Bringing Up Baby [VHS] Best Review

I'm kind of shocked that this film did so poorly upon the time of its release. Watching it now, it really holds up as funny, intriguing and charming. I personally love those 30's screwball comedies, and this film is certainly one of them. The slick combination of Hepburn, Grant and that giant cat, as well as witty banter and slaphappy character development help create a highly energized and highly memorable comedic experience.

And to think Katherine Hepburn hadn't done comedy before this!

First and foremost, this film is not about a baby. I thought it was. Well, at first I thought it was and then I saw a still of Hepburn and a leopard and I thought that maybe the `baby' in the title referred to Hepburn herself. Nope; the baby is actually Baby, the name of the leopard that Hepburn's character, Susan, comes into possession of.

The film tells the story of a paleontologist named David Huxley whose whole purpose in life is to finish this Brontosaurus that he has been working on for years. He is awaiting a special bone needed to complete it, and while his wedding is set for the next day, nothing can interfere with his work (according to his fiancée). In an attempt to get some money from a wealthy (prospective) investor, David winds up running into the eccentric Susan and, through a series of mishaps, he finds himself consumed with her company for an entire weekend. Oh, and Susan has a leopard she's not quite sure what to do with.


The film can be over-the-top but I never found this a distraction. Some have mentioned that they found this film annoying and not funny at tall, and I can see that to a degree, but it all has to do with your taste, and I found this very entertaining.

What makes this film work so well is the impeccable timing (and chemistry) between the two leads. I consistently find myself eating crow when it comes to Katherine Hepburn. I have noted that I find her overrated, but that was a LONG time ago and almost every new film I see of hers I have to eat my words because she is rather remarkable. Her performance here is outstanding, and Cary Grant is at his best here. I'm glad he kind of played against type, and it worked for him. His comedic timing is just brilliant here. They make a dynamic pair. Charlie Ruggles and May Robson are also top notch here, layering their supporting roles with needed humor.

To be honest, I didn't catch the technical follies in the film (the split screen supposedly doesn't line up in every shot) so that shows how engrossed I was to the point of obliviousness.

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Bringing Up Baby [VHS] Overview

"The love impulse in man," says a psychiatrist in Bringing Up Baby, "frequently reveals itself in terms of conflict." That's for sure. For a primer on the rules and regulations of the classic screwball comedy, which throws love and conflict into close proximity, look no further. A straight-laced paleontologist (Cary Grant) loses a dinosaur bone to a dog belonging to free-spirited heiress Katharine Hepburn. In trying to retrieve said bone, Grant is drawn into the vortex surrounding the delicious Hepburn, which becomes a flirtatious pas de deux that will transform both of them. Director Howard Hawks plays the complications as a breathless escalation of their "love impulse," yet the movie is nonetheless romantic for all its speed. (Hawks's His Girl Friday, also with Grant, goes even faster.) Grant and Hepburn are a match made in movie heaven, in sync with each other throughout. Not a great box-office success when first released, Bringing Up Baby has since taken its place as a high-water mark of the screwball form, and it was used as a model for Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc?--Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Not Funny - Victoria Lechler - Alberta, Canada
I watched this movie because I had read reviews stating it was hilarious. It was not. This movie was not funny at all, in fact it was extremely annoying. Katherine Hepburn's character was so irritating I had a hard time watching the entire thing. As someone else mentioned, there was no chemistry between the two of them. Cary Grant made me half chuckle once. If you want a funny Cary Grant movie stick to Arsenic and Old Lace.



Disappointed... - A reader - San Diego, CA
I normally don't write negative reviews, as I don't feel it's worth the time. This was an exception, as it was rated so highly on AFI's top 100 movies of all time, as well as other lists.
The movie from the beginning was difficult to watch, with Hepburn being extremely off in this role, and Grant having a few good moments. The script never fully developed, and throughout the movie I kept thinking "this has to get better".
It was a flop and panned when it came out in the 30's but somehow started to gain popularity to the point that it was selected by the National Film Registry for preservation. Director Hawks was fired for the film and Hepburn was forced to buy out her contract. Now it's a "revered classic". I think I'm missing something here.



A Must Have for the Classic Moive Fan - Stan in Delaware - Delaware USA
Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant is one of the all time best comedy movies. This madcap adventure will keep you laughing from beginning to end. Hepburn and Grant have a perfect natural timing to their comedy and in my opinion they were one of the best comedy duos of all time. To me they were a much better match on screen than Hepburn and Tracey. The fine supporting cast of great character actors like Charlie Ruggles make this hair brain story even funnier. If you like comedies this is a must have movie for any collector.Bringing Up Baby (Two-Disc Special Edition)

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