Holiday (1938)

Plot:  A  man must choose between a long "Holiday" to find himself, and his super-rich fiancee. 

Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant,  Doris Nolan,  Lew Ayres, Edward Horton, Jean Dixon, 

One of Hepburn's most beloved films, too bad I didn't like it more. Currently rated at 7.8 IMDB, I can only be mildly enthusiastic. On the plus side, I loved Edward Horton/Jean Dixon and the last 20 minutes when the film finally kicks into gear and Grant and Nolan must choose what they want.  But unlike most fans, I didn't particularly like either Hepburn's performance or her character. I was supposed to root for her - she's the free-thinking, fun loving, nonconformist - but she  came off as obnoxious, and slightly nutty. Heretical thought - maybe they should have cast Irene Dunne!

And then there's Cary Grant, who's also slightly miscast. I never bought Grant as a dreamer - a guy from the wrong side of tracks - alternately bemused and intimidated by all the Wealth. And at 33, he seemed a little too old and classy for the role. Jimmy Stewart would've been a better fit.

Plot-wise it seemed overly familiar. Maybe I've seen Philadelphia Story too many times. Or maybe its all those 1960's movies, I saw in  my youth,  with the stuffy adults vs. freedom-loving kids

Two Different Views of Hepburn

1) In the 1930s, Katharine Hepburn’s wit and nonconformity made ordinary heroines seem mushy, and her angular beauty made the round-faced ingenues look piggy and stupid - Pauline Kael (1965)

2) Miss Hepburn - the "New Hepburn," according to the publicity copy - is very mannish in this one, deep-voiced, grammatically precise (she even remembers, in moments of stress, to say "this must be he") and is only a wee bit inclined to hysteria. We can't get over our feeling that her intensity is apt to grate on a man, even on so sanguinary a temperament as Cary Grant's - New York Times (1938) .

Summary: I've been critical - but Holiday its still an enjoyable 100 minutes. Just don't expect a laugh riot like The Awful Truth or Bringing up Baby. Rating 3 of 4