The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

What is the prototype for the classic screwball comedy? This subgenre of romantic comedy is quite a unique experience to take in at this point of cinematic history. The farcical look at love, the screwball comedy was such a significant piece of cinema at the beginning of sound. There was still space for the physical, slapstick approach to humor but now we could hear the fast-talking jabbering of these types of comedy. Howard Hawks was one of the pioneers of so many genres of film including the screwball comedy. His 1938 classic Bringing Up Baby just might be the answer to that initial prompt.

What does Hawks bring to this film that makes it such a classic of cinema? The high energy approach to storytelling is unmatched. The wild amount of energy is almost unbearably fast and breakneck. The tone of the film is just unhinged and wild leaving the door open to so many comedic beats that are completely unexpected. The film never gets too serious and leaves the farcical elements in every single scene. Each scene is full of laughs which makes this 102-minute film unrelentingly hilarious. There is little space in the film for the pacing too slow or for you to lose interest. Hawks had the audience wrapped around his finger as he guided views on such a funny and exciting ride.

What is one of the trademarks of a screwball comedy that writers Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde latched onto? The absurdity of the narrative for sure. Bringing Up Baby is just a strange and offbeat tale just like all the greatest screwball comedies. The titular baby is a pet leopard…you read that right. Katherine Hepburn’s Susan Vance is a rich, spoiled young woman who happens to be in possession of a leopard…just casually. Cary Grant’s David Huxley is a paleontologist, which is quite the interesting choice for the story as well. He just wants to take care of his dinosaur bones. Is that too much to ask? But this dynamic pair is the odd couple that makes the whole show go. Like any good (or great) screwball comedy, you must have plenty of shenanigans and wild set-up for situational humor. Hawks film delivers plenty and then some for sure.

What (or who) are the key central pieces who tie this riotous comedy together? The dynamic duo of Hepburn and Grant are iconic and excellent. Hepburn is so vibrant and full of zeal in this role. She gives Susan so much energy and aloofness that it is such a blast to see her flounder through these scenarios with little tact or sense. Susan can be easily frustrated but there is a charm and earnestness that Hepburn brings to the table that makes her such a memorable and iconic romantic lead. There is an effortless charm that Hepburn has that makes Bringing Up Baby so funny and engaging. Grant is a fast-talking, high strung, and awkward man which is an absolute delight to witness on screen. His bumbling approach to the character is so much fun to watch from such a handsome and classy leading man. The comfort from Grant to looking like a fool is so satisfying. The performance is so committed and full of energy that he is an absolute delight to watch on screen.

Are you ready for an all-time classic? Bringing Up Baby is one of the most significant and impactful films in a whole comedic subgenre of film. One of the greatest filmmakers of the time brings two of film’s biggest stars to the big screen as well. Throw in a leopard and some dinosaur fossils and you have quite the exciting, hilarious, and wild ride.

Bringing Up Baby is streaming on Hulu.