The Philadelphia Story Rankings And Opinions

Short version: If you like your romantic comedies shaken with champagne wit, stirred by three megastars, and garnished with a few impeccable coats and moral epiphanies, The Philadelphia Story (1940) is your kind of party. It’s not just belovedit’s ranked, curated, awarded, and endlessly debated. Below, we break down where it stands on the big lists, how modern critics and audiences score it, why scholars still argue about its manners, and what to watch for when you press play. (We promise fun, some data, and a dash of gossip.)

What Exactly Is The Philadelphia Story?

Plot in a Sip

Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn), a high-society Philadelphian with sky-high standards and a wedding on the horizon, gets ambushedromantically and otherwiseby her suave ex-husband C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and a scrappy reporter, Macaulay “Mike” Connor (James Stewart). Mix in family secrets, a newsroom assignment gone rogue, and a late-night swim, and you’ve got a fizzy comedy of manners that doubles as a character study about grace, forgiveness, and the dangers of putting people (including yourself) on a pedestal.

From Stage Smash to Screen Classic

The movie is based on Philip Barry’s 1939 Broadway playwritten specifically for Hepburnthen adapted for the screen by Donald Ogden Stewart and directed by George Cukor. Hepburn reprised Tracy on film, with Joseph L. Mankiewicz producing and Franz Waxman composing. It runs a brisk 112 minutes, proof that you can wedge two triangles and a redemption arc into under two hours.

Hepburn’s Legendary Comeback

Before this, Hepburn had been tagged “box-office poison.” Then came The Philadelphia Storyfirst a Broadway triumph she helped control, then a blockbuster film whose Radio City Music Hall crowds set a four-day admissions record (110,168). Result: the “poison” label evaporated, critics swooned, and the legend reset.

Rankings: Where the Film Sits on the Big Boards

AFI Lists (The Gold-Standard Roll Call)

On the American Film Institute’s flagship list 100 Years…100 Movies, The Philadelphia Story ranks #51. AFI also slots it at #5 on the “Romantic Comedy” list in its 10 Top 10 genre rankingsright behind City Lights, Annie Hall, It Happened One Night, and Roman Holiday. That’s rarified air for a screwball about remarriage.

National Film Registry

The Library of Congress selected the film for the U.S. National Film Registry in 1995, citing its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. Even among Golden Age gems, that’s a preservation badge that means “canon.”

Scores & Sentiment

Modern consensus stays bubbly: a 100% Tomatometer from 100+ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with a strong audience score as well; and a 96 Metascore, reflecting sustained critical adoration across decades. In other words, both critics and civilians still laugh in the same places.

Awards: What the Oscars Said (and Didn’t)

The 13th Academy Awards (held in 1941 for 1940 releases) handed The Philadelphia Story two wins: Best Actor for James Stewart and Best Adapted Screenplay for Donald Ogden Stewart. It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn), and Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Hussey). Translation: broad Academy respect, even if Best Picture went elsewhere.

Opinions: Why It Still Slays (and Where It Ruffles Feathers)

The Star Trinity

Three legends at full wattage: Hepburn’s icy brilliance melting into vulnerability; Grant weaponizing charm with surgical timing; Stewart finding the soul of an idealist stuck in tabloid boots. Stewart’s Oscar is often cited as a career inflection point (and he famously parked the statuette at his father’s hardware store for yearsone of Hollywood’s great folk tales).

Screwball Craft, Remarriage Wisdom

Part of the film’s enduring appeal is how it turns a “remarriage comedy” into therapy with better tailoring. It interrogates the idea of “perfection,” nudging Tracy toward mercyfor others and herselfwithout draining the fun. Decades later, critics still frame it as a comedy of manners burnished by Cukor’s immaculate staging.

Class, Gender, and the 1940s Gaze

Not everyone is smitten with the movie’s upper-crust bubble. Some find its social politics and moral calculus a bit brittle; others counter that the script gently punctures privilege with wit rather than scolding. Even early trade reviews clocked the film’s sleek, society-page setting. The debate is part of why the movie still feels alive in classrooms and film clubs.

Context That Enriches a Rewatch

The Stage-to-Film Game Plan Worked

Hepburn didn’t just starshe steered. By securing the rights (famously with the help of Howard Hughes) and insisting on top collaborators, she made a vehicle that fit like bespoke couture. The rest is comeback lore taught in film histories and museum notes.

It Keeps Winning New Audiences

Besides the AFI placements, the movie resurfaces whenever outlets rank rom-coms. Contemporary think pieces and listicles routinely vault it into “top-tier” territory, keeping it visible to new viewers who come for the banter and stay for the humanity.

And If You’re Keeping Score at Home…

Need a quick fact pack? AFI Catalog confirms the principal credits and format; AFI’s lists give you the bragging rights; the Library of Congress tells you it’s preserved for posterity; Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic say critics still swoon; and the Oscars page shows how the industry validated it at the time. That’s a robust cross-section of reputational proof.

Comparisons: High Society (1956) vs. the Original

Sixteen years later, MGM reworked the story as the musical High Societywith Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra. It’s charming, buoyant, and packed with Cole Porter; but if you’re ranking for verbal dexterity, Hepburn/Grant/Stewart still owns the title. Watching both is the ideal double feature: same blueprint, two wildly different flavors.

Fun Facts You Can Drop at Brunch

• Radio City record: 110,168 admissions in four days during the film’s opening stretchcrowds long enough to test anyone’s high society manners.
• Stewart’s hardware-store Oscar: The actor reportedly placed his Academy Award in the window of his father’s shop in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Street cred, literally.
• Registry status: Enshrined in the National Film Registry in 1995.
• AFI rankings: #51 on the all-time list, #5 among romantic comedies.

The Verdict: Rankings & Opinions, All in One Place

Put the data and the vibes together and the case is clear: The Philadelphia Story is a top-50-ish American film, a top-5 romantic comedy, an Oscar winner, and a Registry keeper. It’s also a crowd-pleaser with a surprising aftertaste of humility. If you’re building a classic cinema starter pack or writing a “best rom-coms” post, it belongs near the topespecially if you like your screwball with heart.

Conclusion

sapo: From Broadway pedigree to Oscar wins, The Philadelphia Story has the receipts. We synthesize AFI rankings, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores, Library of Congress preservation, and industry lore to reveal why Cukor’s champagne comedy still sparkles. Expect lively analysis, practical watch tips, and a head-to-head with High Society. Whether you’re researching classic Hollywood or planning movie night, this guide pours the factsand the funstraight up.

Extra: of Real-World Viewing “Experiences” and Tips

How to Watch It Like a Film Club Pro

If you’re hosting a screening, treat The Philadelphia Story as a game of tonal transitions. In the first 20 minutes, the dialogue lands like fencer’s thrusts: everyone is witty, armored, and a tad performative. Ask your group to note when the temperature changesthat moment when sophistication gives way to sincerity. (Hint: there’s a moon, there’s a lawn, and there may or may not be an unwise swim.) The scene plays differently with each audience: some laugh at the bravado; others lean forward for the vulnerability. Both reactions are right.

Next, focus on how Cukor uses space. The Lord household isn’t just a fancy backdropit’s a choreography factory. Watch how entrances and exits reset the comedic geometry, especially when Dexter engineers “chance” encounters. A simple doorway becomes a punchline machine. You’ll catch this best on a larger screen where glances read like subplots.

Give your viewers a “performance bingo.” Hepburn’s Tracy must accomplish three pivots: icy to human, judgmental to gracious, and mistaken to self-aware. Mark the moments where each shift locks in. (If you’re competitive, bonus squares: Grant’s micro-smirks when Dexter wins a point; Stewart’s half-surprised sincerity when Mike admits what he wants; Ruth Hussey’s perfectly timed Liz side-eye.) When the credits roll, compare cards. Suddenly you’ve got a conversation about character arcs, not just favorite lines.

Speaking of lines, assign your guests one quotable before the filmthen have them deliver it afterward with context. The exercise showcases how screwball dialogue changes meaning once you know who’s performing, deflecting, or pleading. You’ll also appreciate how the screenplay lets its heroine keep her dignity while admitting she’s been wrongno small feat for a 1940 studio picture.

Pair the feature with a light “remarriage-comedy flight.” If time allows, queue a second film the following weekCukor’s Adam’s Rib or the musical redo High Society. Ask: does the musical frosting in High Society make the story softer, or does it sharpen the class satire because songs act like truth serum? Your room will split; the debate is delicious.

Finally, lean into the historical frame without turning movie night into homework. Share three nuggets before you press play: (1) AFI ranks it #51 all time and #5 among rom-coms, so yes, it’s canon; (2) modern critics still hand it perfect or near-perfect scores; (3) it helped vaporize the “box-office poison” label slapped on Hepburn. People watch more attentively when they sense a turning pointespecially one wrapped in satin gowns and barbed banter.

After the screening, ask one last question: Who changes the mostTracy, Dexter, or Mike? We tend to crown Tracy for the moral growth, but pay attention to how the men adjust their expectations. The right answer might be “all of the above,” which is why the ending lands with champagne bubbles instead of a lecture. It’s not just a wedding; it’s a recalibration. That balancesparkle plus substanceis the secret to the film’s staying power in rankings and in hearts.