How others will see it. The Philadelphia Story has been revered by classic movie lovers for generations. It stars three (count 'em, three) bona fide screen legends, and had full MGM muscle behind it, including director George Cukor, producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart. It was hugely successful as a Broadway play, and was successful as a remake, High Society (1956).
Why is this movie so admired? Since it is a comedy, somebody must find it witty, or at least occasionally insightful. What the script is, in fact, is a first-class star vehicle. Hepburn is the centerpiece, and Grant and Stewart are the two side dishes. Good supporting roles are present for perennial bridesmaid Hussey, (overly) precocious Weidler, and society matron Mary Nash. The one truly crummy role belongs to Kittredge, a man who can't do anything quite right and is on his way out even during his first scene. I'll do the actor a favor and not mention his name, just as in my review for High Society. Only a grist player within the studio system would accept such a thankless assignment.
How I felt about it. Hollywood legend has it that Hepburn was considered "box office poison" before the release of The Philadelphia Story. According to imdb.com, she got the plum role for three reasons: she had starred in the long-running Broadway play, she deferred her salary for a slice of the profits, and (principally) because she owned the film rights, which were purchased and given to her by Howard Hughes.
It's easy to understand her desire to play Tracy Lord. She gets to parody, then demolish, her screen image as an affected, headstrong, manor-born sophisticate. She gets drunk, has fun, and is rewarded the next day for her scandalous behavior with three marriage proposals in ten minutes.
Is the movie the witty laugh riot it is alleged to be? Hardly. The problems begin with the first scene. Hepburn vandalizes Grant's belongings, and Grant follows with assault. Two wrongs don't make a right, particularly in a comedy. About the only thing funny in this movie is Weidler's song, "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady" and this has more to do with the lyrics than the interpretation. Other unfunny running gags include Uncle Willy's passes and pinches at women half his age, and the remarkable amount of alcohol consumed by our three leads. Haven't you heard, it's bad for your liver. And dehydrates you too.
The fawning of Grant and Stewart over the high maintenance Hepburn is all the more disconcerting, given that Ruth Hussey is not only better looking, and more emotionally stable, she's also not about to marry somebody else. Admittedly, Hepburn's from a wealthy family, but she's unreliable. Once she gets drunk at a party, no telling whom she'll pair up with.