Chemstry101.
Added 3/21/2009
I've seen eight of the nine Hepburn-Tracy movies & Pat & Mike makes the first bracket, as do all the comedies. The least of them is better than any of the dramas the two stars did. Cherce. Pat is an all-seasons atheletically gifted amateur. Mike is a slightly bent promoter who sees her as his meal ticket. She really doesn't do the cause of women any favors in this one. She's totally flustered & befuddled with her boyfriend, which is part of the plot & listens to & obviously has great affection for Mike. Light but not bad. There are also cameos of golfers & tennis pros of the era.
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One of My Favorites
Added 12/7/2008
This is one of my all-time favorite movies.
For one thing, it is laugh-out-loud funny in its own special way. A lot of the humor derives from the characters themselves, who are innately funny without being aware that they are. For example, Spencer Tracy's character Mike. He manages athletes. He clearly came up from the streets of New York, and his New York slang is endearing, original, and hilarious. He is sui generis, what you see is what you get, and his sudden partnership with the blue-blooded Katharine Hepburn turns the humor up a notch, as he clumsily approaches this beautiful graceful,elegant female athlete from another world, somehow sure enough in his ability that is willing to do what it takes to bridge the gap.
Tracy (Mike) sees Hepburn (Pat) play in a professional tennis tournament. He is so blown away by her ability that he approaches her to offer to be her manager. He is shy and tentative, first because she is so beautiful and elegant, and also because he is aware that they come from different worlds. Mind you, it is clear Mike feels inferior to nobody and that he is his own man.
So Mike starts to chat her up in his New York-ese, avidly chewing gum, both hands in the pockets of his navy pinstriped suit, fedora perched on the back of his head. Showing his own touch of class, Tracy does not let on in any way that he finds Hepburn attractive. Just that he is wowed by her ability. (Interestingly, Mike keeps a poker face about his romantic feelings throughout most of the movie. He reveals tenderness and love at first in the sweetest scene--she is asleep and he covers her with a blanket.)
After Hepburn agrees to have him manage her, they go out for a celebratory dinner. Tracy orders scotch on the rocks, steak, baked potato with butter, and apple pie a la mode. Hepburn orders the same. Tracy shakes his head. He tells the waiter that the lady will have broiled fish with salad, no dressing. Hepburn protests indignantly. Tracy becomes firm and adamant. He tells Hepburn that she has to listen to him or no deal. He says he has a stable of successful clients, all of whom adhere to his strict training regimen. He mentions "Little Nell" as one of his most successful clients. Beaming with pride, he opens his wallet to show Hepbrn a picture of his pride and joy. As it turns out, Rosie is a thoroughbred mare.
The humor and wit do not abate throughout the whole movie, with Hepburn and Tracy complementing each other as smoothly and intimately as yang and yin.
I have seen this movie lots of times, and each time it brings me joy.
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Hepburn's Physical Prowess Takes Center Stage in an Entertaining Sports-Centric Pairing with Tracy
Added 9/3/2008
Katharine Hepburn has said this deceptively casual 1952 comedy is her favorite of the nine onscreen pairings with longtime partner Spencer Tracy, and one can see why as the film takes advantage of her natural athletic prowess. Directed by the redoubtable George Cukor and written by the husband-and-wife team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon (Adam's Rib), this is not so much a rollicking screwball farce as a sly opposites-attract love story set in a world pitched between professional sports and the street-slang and pinstripe suits of Damon Runyon. It's not a complicated plot. Mike Conovan is a dem-and-dose sports promoter who already manages a punch-drunk fighter named Davie Hucko. On a country club golf course, he sees a great golfing talent in Pat Pemberton, a college physical-education instructor who turns out to be accomplished in a number of sports including sharp-shooting and tennis. Mike immediately sees the financial possibilities of promoting a "lady athlete", and a mutual attraction develops.
However, he also discovers Pat's one major Achilles' heel - her self-doubt is such that she cannot perform to her world-class standards under the patronizing eye of her selfish fiancée Collier. Naturally, this impediment gives rise to the movie's funniest sight gags, including a particularly hilarious tennis match with real pro Gussie Moran where Pat's tennis racket gets smaller, Moran's gets larger, and the net grows higher. The rest of the film consists of scenes highlighting Pat's ascending trajectory as a pro star, and consequently, the fortyish Hepburn's impressive physical talent facing off with the likes of Olympic champion Babe Didrickson Zaharias in a pro golf tournament. The Tracy-Hepburn team shows a genuine rhythm to their banter here, and Tracy seems to be having fun playing a street-savvy huckster. I find it amusing how Hepburn's character - with her crisp New England-based diction - is supposed to be from Oakland. Aldo Ray makes a memorable impression as Davie, while a young Charles Bronson can be seen as one of the hoods subject to Pat's masterful judo moves. There are no extras offered with the 2000 DVD.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Nice Tracy and Hepburn Film
Added 7/7/2008
This is a disarming little movie about a woman athlete and her coach. It is a somewhat romantic comedy but it is more about developing a female athlete and coaching her to be a winner. Katherine Hepburn was apparently a terrific athlete and Garson and Kanin wrote their screenplay around her. It is not a raccuous or exaggerated romantic comedy like Adam's Rib or even Woman of the Year. It is much smaller but very charming. Take it for what it is and don't expect it to be like the other films. This is not what Pat and Mike are about.
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Tracy and Hepburn strike again.......
Added 8/22/2007
PAT & MIKE is an inspiring look at the relationship between a gifted athlete (Katherine Hepburn) and her coach (Spencer Tracy), determined to get her back on her game. Pat's fiancee, Collier Weld (William Ching) is the one setback that keeps her from really excelling at the sports she pursues. Everytime she sees him in the crowd, she fails miserably at anything she is attempting to do (be it serve a tennis ball, or shoot a golfball). I am sure you can imagine the twist of fate that occurs while under the tuttelage of Mike, who believes that they have a truly equal partnership, in his words, "5-0, 5-0."
Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn's chemistry is going strong, as they trade clever banter and we watch the evolution of a beautiful relationship. This film is especially progressive for the time that it was released (the 1950s).
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Chemstry101.
Added 3/21/2009
I've seen eight of the nine Hepburn-Tracy movies & Pat & Mike makes the first bracket, as do all the comedies. The least of them is better than any of the dramas the two stars did. Cherce. Pat is an all-seasons atheletically gifted amateur. Mike is a slightly bent promoter who sees her as his meal ticket. She really doesn't do the cause of women any favors in this one. She's totally flustered & befuddled with her boyfriend, which is part of the plot & listens to & obviously has great affection for Mike. Light but not bad. There are also cameos of golfers & tennis pros of the era.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
One of My Favorites
Added 12/7/2008
This is one of my all-time favorite movies.
For one thing, it is laugh-out-loud funny in its own special way. A lot of the humor derives from the characters themselves, who are innately funny without being aware that they are. For example, Spencer Tracy's character Mike. He manages athletes. He clearly came up from the streets of New York, and his New York slang is endearing, original, and hilarious. He is sui generis, what you see is what you get, and his sudden partnership with the blue-blooded Katharine Hepburn turns the humor up a notch, as he clumsily approaches this beautiful graceful,elegant female athlete from another world, somehow sure enough in his ability that is willing to do what it takes to bridge the gap.
Tracy (Mike) sees Hepburn (Pat) play in a professional tennis tournament. He is so blown away by her ability that he approaches her to offer to be her manager. He is shy and tentative, first because she is so beautiful and elegant, and also because he is aware that they come from different worlds. Mind you, it is clear Mike feels inferior to nobody and that he is his own man.
So Mike starts to chat her up in his New York-ese, avidly chewing gum, both hands in the pockets of his navy pinstriped suit, fedora perched on the back of his head. Showing his own touch of class, Tracy does not let on in any way that he finds Hepburn attractive. Just that he is wowed by her ability. (Interestingly, Mike keeps a poker face about his romantic feelings throughout most of the movie. He reveals tenderness and love at first in the sweetest scene--she is asleep and he covers her with a blanket.)
After Hepburn agrees to have him manage her, they go out for a celebratory dinner. Tracy orders scotch on the rocks, steak, baked potato with butter, and apple pie a la mode. Hepburn orders the same. Tracy shakes his head. He tells the waiter that the lady will have broiled fish with salad, no dressing. Hepburn protests indignantly. Tracy becomes firm and adamant. He tells Hepburn that she has to listen to him or no deal. He says he has a stable of successful clients, all of whom adhere to his strict training regimen. He mentions "Little Nell" as one of his most successful clients. Beaming with pride, he opens his wallet to show Hepbrn a picture of his pride and joy. As it turns out, Rosie is a thoroughbred mare.
The humor and wit do not abate throughout the whole movie, with Hepburn and Tracy complementing each other as smoothly and intimately as yang and yin.
I have seen this movie lots of times, and each time it brings me joy.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Hepburn's Physical Prowess Takes Center Stage in an Entertaining Sports-Centric Pairing with Tracy
Added 9/3/2008
Katharine Hepburn has said this deceptively casual 1952 comedy is her favorite of the nine onscreen pairings with longtime partner Spencer Tracy, and one can see why as the film takes advantage of her natural athletic prowess. Directed by the redoubtable George Cukor and written by the husband-and-wife team of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon (Adam's Rib), this is not so much a rollicking screwball farce as a sly opposites-attract love story set in a world pitched between professional sports and the street-slang and pinstripe suits of Damon Runyon. It's not a complicated plot. Mike Conovan is a dem-and-dose sports promoter who already manages a punch-drunk fighter named Davie Hucko. On a country club golf course, he sees a great golfing talent in Pat Pemberton, a college physical-education instructor who turns out to be accomplished in a number of sports including sharp-shooting and tennis. Mike immediately sees the financial possibilities of promoting a "lady athlete", and a mutual attraction develops.
However, he also discovers Pat's one major Achilles' heel - her self-doubt is such that she cannot perform to her world-class standards under the patronizing eye of her selfish fiancée Collier. Naturally, this impediment gives rise to the movie's funniest sight gags, including a particularly hilarious tennis match with real pro Gussie Moran where Pat's tennis racket gets smaller, Moran's gets larger, and the net grows higher. The rest of the film consists of scenes highlighting Pat's ascending trajectory as a pro star, and consequently, the fortyish Hepburn's impressive physical talent facing off with the likes of Olympic champion Babe Didrickson Zaharias in a pro golf tournament. The Tracy-Hepburn team shows a genuine rhythm to their banter here, and Tracy seems to be having fun playing a street-savvy huckster. I find it amusing how Hepburn's character - with her crisp New England-based diction - is supposed to be from Oakland. Aldo Ray makes a memorable impression as Davie, while a young Charles Bronson can be seen as one of the hoods subject to Pat's masterful judo moves. There are no extras offered with the 2000 DVD.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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