Overview
A reporter's heart is torn between love and ambition as she faces a pivotal choice.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- frantic
- cynical
- classic movie night
- romantic comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally fast, sharp, and enduring screwball comedy elevated by its overlapping dialogue, stellar performances, and ingenious gender-swapped adaptation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter, Hildy, and the newspaper staff sustain a famously rapid verbal rhythm in the newsroom and during the unfolding execution story.
Hildy must choose between returning to journalism with Walter and pursuing a quieter marriage with Bruce.
The reporter Hildy Johnson is a woman whose hard-boiled competence matches and challenges Walter's authority in the newsroom.
The mayor's electoral interests influence the handling of Earl Williams's execution, turning journalism into a contest over public truth.
Films like His Girl Friday, and why
The Awful Truth
rapid-fire screwball dialogue, romantic conflict, and professional rivalry between strong-willed characters
The Front Page
newspaper-room setting, cynical comedy, and escalating deadline-driven chaos
Adam's Rib
fast-paced romantic comedy built around remarriage, witty verbal sparring, and competing notions of domestic life
Bringing Up Baby
Howard Hawks comedy emphasizing overlapping dialogue, ensemble momentum, and eccentric professional personalities
Movie Details
- Director
- Howard Hawks
- Release Date
- 1940-01-18
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (978)
Cast
- Cary Grant
- Rosalind Russell
- Ralph Bellamy
- Gene Lockhart
- Porter Hall
- Ernest Truex
- Cliff Edwards
- Clarence Kolb
- Roscoe Karns
- Frank Jenks
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, Fandor Amazon Channel, Dove Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is His Girl Friday about?
- A fiercely funny newsroom battle pits an ambitious reporter's desire for independence against her ex-husband's determination to win her back.
- What is His Girl Friday like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of His Girl Friday as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is His Girl Friday violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in His Girl Friday as mild.
- What did critics think of His Girl Friday?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally fast, sharp, and enduring screwball comedy elevated by its overlapping dialogue, stellar performances, and ingenious gender-swapped adaptation.
- Which films are like His Girl Friday?
- Films with a similar feel include The Awful Truth, The Front Page, Adam's Rib, and Bringing Up Baby.
- How long is His Girl Friday?
- His Girl Friday runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch His Girl Friday?
- In United States, His Girl Friday streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, Pure Flix, Fandor Amazon Channel, Dove Amazon Channel, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel.
