Adam's Rib (1949)

Introduction

Adam’s Rib is a whip-smart romantic comedy that doubles as a battle-of-the-sexes courtroom drama. Directed by George Cukor and written by married screenwriters Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, the film cleverly dissects gender roles, double standards, and marriage dynamics — all while delivering rapid-fire wit and sizzling chemistry between its leads, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

This 1949 classic was ahead of its time in the way it tackled feminist themes, yet remains charmingly entertaining today. Rather than taking sides, the film invites viewers to consider the nuances of equality in relationships, the law, and society. It’s as intellectually stimulating as it is funny — and that rare romantic comedy that genuinely respects its audience’s intelligence.

Plot Summary

The story opens with Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) attempting to shoot her philandering husband when she catches him with another woman. Her arrest sets the stage for a sensational trial.

Enter married attorneys Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy), a district attorney, and Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn), a defence attorney. When Amanda takes up Doris’s case, she sees it as an opportunity to challenge the legal system’s double standards when it comes to men and women — arguing that if a man had done the same thing, it would be treated with more leniency.

What ensues is a legal and personal tug-of-war, as Adam and Amanda face off in the courtroom while their marriage is tested at home. The stakes rise as professional pride and personal emotions become entangled — culminating in one of classic Hollywood’s sharpest romantic confrontations.

Themes

1. Gender Equality and Double Standards

The central theme is the unequal treatment of men and women, particularly in the legal system. Amanda’s impassioned defence of Doris challenges the hypocrisy of a system that normalizes male infidelity while punishing women for emotional responses to betrayal. The film critiques the idea that men are allowed to act from passion while women are dismissed or ridiculed when doing the same.

2. Marriage as Power Play

Adam and Amanda's marriage is portrayed as a battleground of ideals, where love is intertwined with respect, ego, and individual identity. The film explores how difficult it can be to balance personal beliefs with partnership, especially when both partners are intelligent, passionate, and ambitious.

3. Professional vs. Personal Life

The courtroom scenes mirror the dynamics at home. Adam and Amanda must navigate the blurry line between their professional responsibilities and emotional lives. Their conflict speaks to modern dilemmas about work-life balance, especially in dual-career marriages.

Direction and Screenplay

George Cukor, known as a "women's director" for his empathetic handling of female characters, directs with a light, sophisticated touch. He creates space for the performances to shine and allows the themes to emerge through character interaction rather than preachy monologues.

The screenplay by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin is among the best in classic Hollywood — filled with witty exchanges, layered arguments, and emotional realism. The dialogue is fast-paced and clever, but always rooted in character. It's never just banter for banter’s sake; each line reveals personality, motivation, or tension.

Here’s one memorable example:

Amanda: "Law is the law. You can't beat the law."

Adam: "But you can twist it. Bend it. Stretch it."

Amanda: "Which is exactly what I'm going to do."

Performances

Katharine Hepburn as Amanda Bonner

Hepburn is at her best here — poised, intelligent, and emotionally complex. Amanda is no caricature of the “nagging wife” or the “feminist crusader.” She is compassionate but stubborn, idealistic but calculating. Hepburn’s ability to deliver biting arguments with grace and warmth keeps the character likable even when she’s intellectually intimidating.

Spencer Tracy as Adam Bonner

Tracy brings gravitas and vulnerability to a role that could have been dismissive or reactionary. He makes Adam’s frustrations understandable, even when he’s clearly wrong. Tracy’s quiet strength and grounded performance offer the perfect counterbalance to Hepburn’s spirited energy.

Together: Electric Chemistry

This is one of the great screen pairings in film history. Tracy and Hepburn had a palpable offscreen relationship, and their comfort and rhythm are evident in every scene. Their arguments sparkle with authenticity, and their affection, even at the film’s tensest moments, always feels real.

Judy Holliday as Doris Attinger

In her breakout film role, Holliday is sympathetic, funny, and disarmingly honest. She brings humanity to a character that could have easily been reduced to a plot device. Holliday’s performance helps ground the film’s themes in lived emotional reality.

Cinematography and Production

The cinematography by George J. Folsey is serviceable and classic for the time — clean, unobtrusive, and focused on capturing performance. The film's production design reflects middle-class respectability and office professionalism, providing a neutral canvas on which the characters' ideologies clash.

What stands out isn’t flashy visuals but how the mise-en-scène supports the emotional and intellectual tension — the way Cukor stages scenes in the shared apartment or courtroom emphasizes intimacy and confrontation simultaneously.

Tone and Structure

The film strikes an impressive tonal balance: it's light without being fluffy, serious without being didactic. The courtroom comedy is full of sharp satire, while the domestic scenes have real emotional stakes. The structure cleverly parallels professional arguments with personal ones, making the audience care about both the legal case and the marriage at its heart.

The ending walks a fine line: it preserves the romantic comedy structure while leaving room for ambiguity. Amanda may "lose" in the courtroom and reconcile with Adam, but she doesn’t abandon her ideals. It’s not about winning or losing, but about mutual understanding — a nuanced, progressive stance for its time.

Legacy and Influence

Adam’s Rib was a critical and box office success and is widely regarded as one of the best romantic comedies ever made. It helped cement the Tracy-Hepburn pairing as iconic and inspired a wave of legal and gender-centric comedies.

Its influence can be seen in everything from Kramer vs. Kramer to The Good Wife to Legally Blonde. Unlike many rom-coms of its era, it remains relevant for its progressive (though still imperfect) handling of feminist ideas.

The American Film Institute ranked Amanda Bonner as one of the greatest movie heroes of all time, and the film remains a staple in studies of gender in cinema.

Criticisms (from a modern lens)

Resolution Ambiguity: Some critics argue that the ending somewhat undercuts Amanda’s feminist stance by having her reconcile without clear resolution of the ideological conflict. It may read as a capitulation — though others see it as a gesture of romantic compromise rather than philosophical defeat.

Gender Politics: While progressive for 1949, some of Amanda’s arguments are played for laughs, and the script occasionally indulges in gender stereotypes (e.g., women as emotionally unstable or manipulative), though it often subverts them, too.

Still, these critiques reflect the era’s constraints more than failings of the film itself.

Conclusion

Adam’s Rib is a smart, funny, and enduringly relevant romantic comedy. Its sharp writing, stellar performances, and insightful look at gender dynamics make it one of the finest examples of the genre. It’s a rare film that manages to entertain while making viewers think — without sacrificing heart or humour.

A witty, layered battle of the sexes that remains as fresh and thought-provoking as it was in 1949.