JohnHowardReid Don't expect an uproariously slapstick comedy or one in which wise whip-cracks pepper the plot like a swarm of bees in a honey jar. True, the script has some delightfully daffy moments and the dialogue wonderfully witty lines, but the accent is firmly on believable characterization rather than sheer slapstick. The amusement derives from the attractive clash of two opposing temperaments - a formula that was to be repeated again and again in the Hepburn-Tracy comedies. Here in their first meeting, their technique is fresh, yet already marvelously refined. Tracy is delightfully pragmatic, Miss Hepburn amusingly vapid yet opinionated. And they are joined by a truly scintillating support cast. Dan Tobin is brilliantly funny as the glibly jaunty Gerald - easily the most memorable role of his career. He plays with such droll sophistication, even bettering Tracy at times, it's a great pity he was never to find such a part again.William Bendix was rather more fortunate. He has a typical role which he plays with a great sense of timing and enthusiasm. Fay Bainter's fans will not be disappointed - she has an important part - but most of the other players have little more than walk-ons. Nonetheless, Stevens has seen to it, that all excel. The only actor who seems a trifle miscast is Minor Watson who is too rough-and-ready a character for the ultra-queenly Hepburn's diplomat father.It's hard to beat Stevens for stylish direction that gets the most out of every dramatic or comic situation. Only the rather too mellifluous marriage ceremony seems overdone. Almost every other scene is paced, emphasized and edited to perfection.Under Ruttenberg's lighting (and in Adrian costumes), Hepburn never looked more radiant. Waxman has contributed a spirited score and the film is as proficiently polished as we would expect from MGM.

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.

tylergee005 This movie attracted me from the start. Something about Ms. Hepburn that is so fascinating and intriguing, which really shines throughout this film. She is almost inspiring at how a suave and elegant and accomplished person should be, but of course with its faults. The plot perhaps was a bit squashed and felt sped up between when they like each other, to when they're living together. I wish we would've seen how they acted if dating for weeks and weeks on end, since Spencer's character almost immediately after moving in was annoyed (an visibly so, almost to an a-hole level), as if he didn't expect this, or that his love and infatuation for her almost completely disappeared instantly. Also, I understand the need for the type of ending it had, but the last maybe 20 minutes of the film were completely predictable, and dragged after a few minutes. The film obviously could've had a tighter script, and and editing towards the end, but overall I really enjoyed it, and felt it to be a worthwhile watch.

SnoopyStyle Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is a world traveling ace reporter covering the coming war with Hitler. After an interview where she offhandedly wondered if baseball should be suspended, sports writer Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) starts a inter-department fight on their newspaper pages. The two differing personalities get together and eventually get marry. She is a modern woman and even selected as "The Woman of the Year". He is a traditional guy, and cracks appear in their marriage.This is the first time Tracy and Hepburn team up in a movie. She is the modern worldly woman. It seems very natural to her. He's the everyman and natural to him. The jokes need to be a little sharper. For example he's reading the Chinese newspaper the wrong way, but how many people would know that the assistant sees that. He needs to flip the paper around a couple of times. Tracy still does a good comedic job. Then there is the wild kitchen comedy bit at the end. It doesn't really fit her character, but it's funny nevertheless. The waffle iron is beyond hilarious.He's thinking of marriage even before their first kiss. It's a role reversal. She's way more successful. Things heat up and he's the one who runs away. He's the romantic. She's afraid of being tied down. She's busy working for much of their marriage. It has some fine comedic moments. The best is the couple's chemistry. They look like they really get along when they just stare at each other across the table. It's really nice to see.