His Girl Friday Reviews

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since it is such a classic, I thought I should check it out. To be honest, I always had a hard time to care for these old comedies, even the supposedly great ones, and this one was not an exception, I’m afraid. The point is that the plot was so fluffy, so unsubstantial, I really had a hard time to care about the whole thing. Somehow, this movie and the other classics in this genre are still considered as hilarious even today but, personally, I thought it was just amusing at best. Obviously, it is still a solid comedy though. Indeed, Cary Grant was one of the best actors at the time (at least, one of the most popular ones but I still think the guy was also great), he was very good here and he had some very good chemistry with the charming Rosalind Russell. Furthermore, even though nothing much happen during the whole thing, the dialogues were really witty and funny and they were definitely the biggest asset in this flick. To conclude, even though it didn’t really blow me away, it remains a solid comedy, a classic, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"I wouldn't cover the burning of Rome for you if they were just lighting it up!"

His Girl Friday is a hysterically funny screwball comedy masterpiece by one of cinema's greatest directors, Howard Hawks. This film is purely one of the funniest classic comedies I've ever seen. Although roughly 70 years old the film is still a wickedly enchanting oddball comedy, and its original impact has only marginally dissipated.

Based on a successful Broadway smash (that was filmed as a movie) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, the film follows conniving newspaper editor Walter Burns (Grant) who works for the Morning Post. Former ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Russell) returns to the Morning Post to tell her ex-husband Walter that there's a new lover in her life, and to bid him farewell one last time. Hildy plans to give up her life as a newspaper reporter, instead settling into a world of domesticality with her new fiancé Bruce Baldwin (Bellamy). Walter is not willing to let Hildy leave the newspaper, thus determined to get her to stay and to get her heart back he hatches a cunning plan to lure her back to the Morning Post. He plans to involve her in the paper's crusade to free convicted murderer Earl Williams (Qualen) from death row. While in a moment of madness, Williams shot a coloured policeman resulting in his conviction. Walter knows that Hildy has the perfect feminine touch to place Williams in a sympathetic light and hence get him a reprieve from the noose.

The plot sounds dark and gloomy for a comedy; however the screenplay is so well written and the plot is so skilfully buried in witty lines of dialogue and outstandingly funny situations. The screenwriters did a great job in producing a sparklingly remarkable script. The plot is also convoluted beyond all comprehension. This is only a marginal flaw of course.

His Girl Friday contains a number of outstanding performances from an extremely determined group of actors. Cary Grant is an amazing delight in the title role. These are the roles that he was born to play: hysterical, eccentric and wonderful. I do enjoy a Cary Grant thriller from the works of Alfred Hitchcock like North by Northwest; however Grant is equally enjoyable in these masterfully produced, timeless old comedies. Like his performance in such classic films as Arsenic and Old Lace, Grant excels in creating an over-the-top character that is given quality lines of dialogue. Grant is coupled with actress Rosalind Russell. The two share some great moments. The chemistry between Grant and Russell is simply priceless. The rest of the cast is equally remarkable.

Howard Hawks made his mark on a plethora of genres. He nailed the genres of film noir (The Big Sleep), western (Red River), musical (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), gangster (Scarface) and of course comedy with His Girl Friday. Hawks is a skilled director very capable of producing quality work no matter what the genre is. Each scene here is hysterically funny and compelling no matter how outrageous the situation is.

His Girl Friday is slightly dated but on the whole it's an unforgettable screen gem. With Howard Hawks in top form and a handsome Cary Grant in his prime the film is loads of fun. The humour is still as funny as it was when first released back in 1940.

Rosalind Russell not Cary Grant, is really the central character in this movie. While the witty banter goes around and around bringing laughs all around, the real story is about journalists that are supposed to get to the truth, but only manipulate everyone around them to suit their own needs. A very humorous condemnation of politicians, journalists, and law enforcement.

I know I'm supposed to like this movie. It's got a great director, fabulous actors and witty dialog. And yet I hate the plot. Cary Grant spends the whole movie lying and plotting and just being pretty despicable. I guess I like him more when he charms a woman into falling for him (which he does pretty easily) rather than being a loathsome cad. I much prefer Philadelphia Story or Holiday to this movie.