Woman of the Year Reviews

The first onscreen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, a team that would last 25 years until Tracy's death in 1967. He plays a sportswriter for a New York newpaper who becomes angry after hearing Hepburn on a radio broadcast boldly state that baseball should be eliminated until WWII comes to an end. Hepburn, the daughter of diplomat Watson and an international affairs writer, works on the same paper as Tracy, and her remarks begin a battle waged in their respective columns. Once they meet in person, they are attracted to each other, much to the surprise of their friends and colleagues. Eventually Tracy and Hepburn wed, but their marriage rests on shaky ground. Hepburn's attempts at homemaking are an outright disaster, as she feels her job must come before anything else. Tracy is angered by her lack of commitment to the marriage and ends up getting too drunk to write his column. Hepburn, whose knowledge of sports isn't much better than her abilities as a housewife, pens Tracy's column and the results are catastrophic. Hepburn is voted "Woman of the Year," ironically hearing the news while she is contemplating whether to remain with Tracy. When her father remarries, Hepburn listens closely as marriage vows are read. The words move her and she decides to go back to Tracy with renewed zeal for married life. WOMAN OF THE YEAR is a marvelous comedy-drama, brimming with wit, style, and sophistication. Hepburn is strong and assured, a woman fueled by intense pride along with a good-sized ego. (Maybe that's why the final breakfast scene, amusing as it is, leaves a bad taste in the mouth, as it milks rather obvious laughs from Hepburn's lack of traditonally "feminine" skills.) Tracy is her male opposite, just as opinionated and just as stubborn. Their chemistry is engaging, a solid teaming that enhances the accomplished script.