Woman of the Year

The first film Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made together. Sam is a sportswriter; Tess writes on foreign affairs. They work at the same paper and know each other through their columns. Tess calls sport absurd and Sam finds what she writes unnecessary. Then they meet and marry. The trouble starts after the wedding. Tess's life is meetings, guests and travel; Sam waits at home. She does not consider giving up her work, and is not expected to. But the film does not sustain that balance to the end. The ending was among the most argued-about decisions of its period. The first one shot was badly received at a test screening and was replaced; in the new one Tess goes into the kitchen and tries to make breakfast. That section is now considered the film's weakest part. Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin wrote the screenplay and won the Oscar for original screenplay. George Stevens directed. The pair made eight more films after this one. The place to start for anyone who likes classical Hollywood comedy and the Tracy and Hepburn pairing. For a viewer looking for a modern perspective, the film breaks the balance it builds over two hours in the finale, and does it openly.