Born Yesterday

PG

Released Mar 26, 1993

1 hr. 41 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

25%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

27%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A scrap-metal tycoon (John Goodman) turned real-estate mogul pays a Washington newsman (Don Johnson) to educate his feisty girlfriend (Melanie Griffith).

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Critics Consensus

Not even Melanie Griffith's charisma can inject fresh energy into this ill-conceived remake, which awkwardly retreads through the classic original's story without any of its charm.

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jordan m

I really don't get what people expect when they learn that a movie is a remake of an older movie… this one used the things that worked in the 1950 version and made some small changes to improve the comedy and the chemistry between the newsman and Billie. Melanie didn't do radically worse than Holliday had done, even though it was indeed a step down. I enjoyed the changes they made to the screenplay, but I think more of the blame for this one's lack of success lies in the casting rather than the execution as it's very difficult to look at Goodman as a believable villain. If he was an excellent bad guy his name would be Badman, but it isn't and he was right in the middle of his star-making Roseanne show when he did this.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Great movie with great actors. I love it. It is terribly underrated.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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steve d

Pointless but well done remake.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

One of my all time favorite movies! I love the cast, especially Melanie Griffith and John Goodman!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

nice bit of fun fluff

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Melanie Griffith, as Billie Dawn, executes the role with such integrity. So convincing as she makes the film hers. But as a film, it just doesn't fit in well with the era. It feels as though they lifted a 1950 film and forced it to fit into 1993. They tried making a non-90s film but didn't pull out all the stops--or any stops, really. It just felt unexplainably awkward during most scenes. However, the film wasn't intrinsically bad. It was actually quite enjoyable. The characters are likable, the themes are sincere, and the dialogue is snappy. A lot of the time it even overcomes its sloppy direction and confused narrative, but those faults are never forgotten about and a few times distracting. The setup is on the border of boring and the tone is intermittent. It also never fully commits to any of its antagonists, and even slips up a couple of times with Don Johnson's character, Paul. Born Yesterday is one of those films that is enjoyable and possibly forgettable at the same time. It means well, but could have been a better remake. And although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, I wouldn't be against watching it again. Twizard Rating: 73

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Luis Mandoki

Director

Melanie Griffith

Emma 'Billy' Dawn

John Goodman

Harry Brock

Don Johnson

Paul Verrall

Edward Herrmann

Ed Devery

Max Perlich

JJ

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Reborn too late. Melanie Griffith is fine playing the beautiful-but-dumb (or is she?) role that Judy Holliday originated, but the film Is a dated vehicle.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Leonard Klady

Variety

The verdict on the makeover is not all good news.

Jan 11, 2008

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a briskly-paced comedy that benefits substantially from its winning performances...

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 13, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Since the adherence to the source material is pretty close, there aren't many surprises.

Rated: 5/10

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

I watched the 1993 remake of Born Yesterday and boy was that a dud.

Feb 21, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A scrap-metal tycoon (John Goodman) turned real-estate mogul pays a Washington newsman (Don Johnson) to educate his feisty girlfriend (Melanie Griffith).

Director: Luis Mandoki
Executive Producer: Stratton Leopold
Screenwriter: Garson Kanin, Douglas McGrath
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Hollywood Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1
Rating: PG (Scene of Abusive Behavior|Language)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 26, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.8M
Sound Mix: Surround

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