#129: The Philadelphia Story
Part of the Top 150 Films series
The Philadelphia Story is a delicious, bubbly confection that shows exactly what the studio system could produce when great minds, wrangled together by Katharine Hepburn, worked together in the pursuit of excellence. Famously declared ‘box office poison’ a year before filming began, Hepburn course-corrected magnificently by not only starring but also backing the play upon which the film was based, choosing the writer and director (both inspired) and having veto rights over the cast. And yet, rather than become a vanity project, Philadelphia is a winning ensemble piece, as funny as it is introspective about the joys and foibles that come with marriage. The actors are miraculous (James Stewart especially — he completely deserved his Oscar for this), the laugh lines hilarious, and the direction keeps things bobbing along so wonderfully. That this film contains some of the best drunk acting ever filmed is the icing on the delectably light cake.
