Woman of the Year

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Woman of the Year

Released Jan 14, 1942

1h 52m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

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30 Reviews

80%

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5,000+ Ratings

Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is a progressively-minded political journalist. Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) is a sports writer with very traditional values. The only thing the two have in common is that they both work for the same New York City newspaper. Despite an initial and mutual dislike, the two eventually fall in love and get married. When Tess wins the Woman of the Year award, traditional gender roles become flipped and their relationship suffers as a result.

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Critics Consensus

In the first romantic comedy pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, the stars' chemistry is off to a working start and the film's sparkling comedy smooths out any rough patches.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

It has an engaging quality deriving from its personalities, but where direction and writing are concerned, it is static and often ham, it is at least twenty minutes too long for the motion it carries.

Feb 18, 2022

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

The film earlier has one of the very best Tracy-Hepburn love scenes, full of the sense of private shelter that they uniquely purvey.

Jan 14, 2013

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Variety Staff

Variety

Woman of the Year is an entertaining film with superb work by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

Mar 26, 2009

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Zita Short

InSession Film

I don’t think this is a successful romantic comedy. I am almost offended...

Feb 9, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The dialogue in the Oscar-winning screenplay is priceless -- surveying the enormous crowd at a baseball game, Tess asks, Are all these people unemployed?

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 10, 2022

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Although arguably not on par with some of the later Hepburn/Tracy pairings, Woman of the Year is still a precious lark ahead of its time, and reveals the co-stars in the early days of their formidable on-screen chemistry.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 12, 2020

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Jeff S

A great balance of wit, romance, and morality. This classic movie reminds us about perspective and maintaining a balance in life. Many similar movies become melodramatic or melancholy, but this one takes a clever tact to better effect.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

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Alec B

The movie kind of falls apart when it shifts gears from taking Hepburn's wit and independence seriously to lecturing her. I know much of that is just simply the time period but it does make the final act seem out of place.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

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Paul L

I think the premise is dated. Even the usual right-wing whiners haven't gotten back to barefoot and pregnant good old days. This may have begun the typical 1950s movie where a strong independent woman at the end gives it all up to bend down and put on her husband/boyfriend's slippers and become domesticated homebody. Doris Day and Rock Hudson did a few. Maybe Judy Holliday was one whose movies didn't do this to her productive spirit. Especially offensive was the refugee attitude, the adoption attitude

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/09/23

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Mark A

Tracy and Hepburn doing what they do best.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/16/22

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steve d

Cute film with likable leads.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

This is a waste of Katharine Hepburn's talents. Why would an educated woman want to marry someone whose only knowledge or interest is in sports right in the middle of world war II? She starts out well, her independence and education is seen, but she ends up in the kitchen, quits her job, and gets out the cookbook. The movie ends as she gives up her independence and her spirit. Hurrah! Three cheers for the future! A better title for this film would be "Tamed" or "Under His Thumb at Last".

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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George Stevens

Director

Katharine Hepburn

Tess Harding

Spencer Tracy

Sam Craig

Fay Bainter

Ellen Whitcomb

Reginald Owen

Clayton

Minor Watson

William J. Harding

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Synopsis

Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is a progressively-minded political journalist. Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) is a sports writer with very traditional values. The only thing the two have in common is that they both work for the same New York City newspaper. Despite an initial and mutual dislike, the two eventually fall in love and get married. When Tess wins the Woman of the Year award, traditional gender roles become flipped and their relationship suffers as a result.

Director: George Stevens
Producer: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Ring Lardner Jr., Michael Kanin
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 14, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 52m

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