Pat and Mike

Movie Review: Pat and Mike

Year of Release: 1952
Country of Origin: USA
Director: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray

Plot outline: Romance blooms between a female athlete and her manager (IMDb).

Miss Hepburn always has been an actress whose competence with a line or with a tensile dramatic situation has been well above the margin of surprise. But this is the first time she has shown us - at least, on the motion-picture screen - that she can swing a golf club or tennis racquet as adroitly as she can sling an epigram. As a sensational all-round lady athlete who joins the ranks of the pros in the wild hope of getting away from a peculiarly demoralizing beau, she is given an opportunity to match golf strokes with Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Betty Hicks and to trade forehand drives and backhand volleys with Alice Marble, Don Budge and Gussie Moran. And while she may not come up entirely to her competitors in the way of form, she makes a good enough show of ability to give the illusion of being a first-rate pro. In the role of the tough-guy sports promoter to whom the lady flees and with whom she has a wild adventure vis-a-vis a trio of Damon Runyon thugs, Mr. Tracy, too, makes happy pretense of being a sporting type or, as he realistically puts it, "There's a nice dollar laying around for you and I to pick up." Pat and Mike is a shaky combination of, let us say, Woman of the Year and (if you can imagine without music) the theatrical Guys and Dolls. But, withal, it is a likable fable about a highly coordinated dame who moves in upon and takes over a positive, authoritative guy, with slight overtones of honor triumphing over shadiness and greed. It is smoothly directed by George Cukor and slyly, amusingly played by the whole cast, especially by its due of easy, adroit, experienced stars. Mr. Ray, as a dumb, moody fighter; Sammy White, as a shifty hanger-on; and William Ching, as the stuffed-shirt fiancé, are outstanding in support. George Mathews and Charles Buchinski (Bronson) are also fun as "the kind of types that have been known to act very hot-headed in their day and age." (They are neatly manhandled by Miss Hepburn, using judo, in one scene.) And, as for the real professional athletes and the exhibitions they give, they are credible, colorful and exciting. (NYT)

My judgement: *** out of 4 stars