I'm no expert on Tracy/Hepburn collaborations; in fact, this is the only one that I've seen. Nevertheless...
In this film Kate plays an aspiring female athlete (Pat) while Spence plays a controlling sports agent (Mike). Pat is out to prove something to herself but keeps crumbling under the pressure whenever her domineering fiancé's around. Meanwhile, Mike develops a liking for his protégé that extends beyond his business considerations. Obviously, you can see where this is headed a mile away but that doesn't diminish the fun of getting there.
Hepburn & Tracy are excellent together, as you might expect, and the film's premise gives Hepburn ample opportunity to display her considerable golf & tennis skills. The cast even includes a handful of female athletes of the era as her competitors. Also, you can see some early film work from the likes of Jim Backus & Charles Bronson here.
The direction by George Cukor is ably handled and the script has some memorable lines, like the one I quoted above. Unfortunately, I feel that the plot wasn't as refined as it could have been. For instance, the final five minutes or so feel like the filmmakers arbitrarily decided that they'd better end the story as quickly as possible. This is somewhat jarring because the romance wasn't especially prominent up to this point and the golf rematch goes by so quickly as to seem nearly inconsequential.
Ultimately, though, I'd say that the current rating (7.0) is a bit harsh. I'd rate it somewhere between 7 & 8. The script does have some shortcomings but they're not nearly enough to derail the picture.
In this film Kate plays an aspiring female athlete (Pat) while Spence plays a controlling sports agent (Mike). Pat is out to prove something to herself but keeps crumbling under the pressure whenever her domineering fiancé's around. Meanwhile, Mike develops a liking for his protégé that extends beyond his business considerations. Obviously, you can see where this is headed a mile away but that doesn't diminish the fun of getting there.
Hepburn & Tracy are excellent together, as you might expect, and the film's premise gives Hepburn ample opportunity to display her considerable golf & tennis skills. The cast even includes a handful of female athletes of the era as her competitors. Also, you can see some early film work from the likes of Jim Backus & Charles Bronson here.
The direction by George Cukor is ably handled and the script has some memorable lines, like the one I quoted above. Unfortunately, I feel that the plot wasn't as refined as it could have been. For instance, the final five minutes or so feel like the filmmakers arbitrarily decided that they'd better end the story as quickly as possible. This is somewhat jarring because the romance wasn't especially prominent up to this point and the golf rematch goes by so quickly as to seem nearly inconsequential.
Ultimately, though, I'd say that the current rating (7.0) is a bit harsh. I'd rate it somewhere between 7 & 8. The script does have some shortcomings but they're not nearly enough to derail the picture.