Alice Adams

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Alice Adams

1935,

1h 39m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

88%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

16 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Based on the award-winning novel by Booth Tarkington, this comedic drama follows a young working-class woman (Katharine Hepburn) as she attempts, unsuccessfully, to climb the social ladder. When she meets the wealthy Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray), he is amused by her efforts to maintain an upper-crust facade, and she is thrilled when he agrees to have dinner at her family's home. Things teeter on the brink of disaster as the Adams clan frantically tries to create an evening of fine dining.

Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

May 7, 2024

Quite apart from delicacy of any sort, “Alice Adams” goes about slugging its points home by means of an assortment of devices that are only described with the beautiful economy of one word, which word is hokum.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Nov 13, 2007

That George Stevens' direction captures the wistfulness of Katharine Hepburn's superb histrionism, and yet has not sacrificed audience values at the altar of too much drabness and prosaic realism, is an achievement of no small order.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Nov 13, 2007

Stevens's talent for stepping away from the plotline and creating intimate, casual, and naturalistic moments is given plenty of opportunity here, as it would not be in his later superproductions.

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Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy)

Esquire Magazine

Apr 16, 2020

This all attempts to be folksy comedy, but very often falls into savage satire.

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Oct 11, 2019

Miss [Katharine] Hepburn's performance is brilliant though uneven; a little overwrought at times, but so penetrating at others that every third woman, perhaps even every second one, in the audience will recognize herself in some aspect of Alice.

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Apr 17, 2011

Stevens' deadpan-humane approach dilutes the acid of Booth Tarkington's social critique

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Jan 26, 2019

The best romance movie ever made!

Han P

Apr 3, 2018

It's not likely to top any lists of Katharine Hepburn's bests, but this Cinderella-story about a young girl wanting so badly to be accepted by high society is charming.

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Theodore W

Aug 13, 2007

Katherine Hepburn shines in this film. She should have won her first Oscar for this film instead of winning an Oscar for her dreadful performance in Morning Glory. George Stevens directs with a sure hand.

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George Stevens

Director

Katharine Hepburn

Alice Adams

Fred MacMurray

Arthur Russell

Fred Stone

Virgil Adams

Evelyn Venable

Mildred "Georgette" Palmer

Frank Albertson

Walter Adams

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Synopsis

Based on the award-winning novel by Booth Tarkington, this comedic drama follows a young working-class woman (Katharine Hepburn) as she attempts, unsuccessfully, to climb the social ladder. When she meets the wealthy Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray), he is amused by her efforts to maintain an upper-crust facade, and she is thrilled when he agrees to have dinner at her family's home. Things teeter on the brink of disaster as the Adams clan frantically tries to create an evening of fine dining.

Director: George Stevens
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Screenwriter: Dorothy Yost, Mortimer Offner, Jane Murfin
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 15, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 39m

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