A pretentious social climbing small town girl (Katharine Hepburn) lives with her middle class family: a simplistic ill father (Fred Stone), a nagging pushy mother (Ann Shoemaker) and an irresponsible brother (Frank Albertson). At the party of one of her wealthy acquaintances, she catches the eye of an upper class young man (Fred MacMurray) but will her "poverty" make her unappealing? Based on the Booth Tarkington novel of the same name, this is one of the 4 or 5 great performances Hepburn gave in her career. She manages to imbue her performance with a sad desperation that overrides the potential repulsiveness of her self wrapped pretentiousness, unaware that's she's better than the snobbish class she aspires to be a part of. The director George Stevens gives the project a structure and specificity that resonates with authenticity. That nightmare dinner is a classic and rings with the shock of recognition. It's a pity that the ending is a cop out. It's phoniness is hard to swallow but the studio (RKO) insisted on it so Stevens can't be blamed for it. It's both funny and heartbreaking. With a scene stealing Hattie McDaniel, Evelyn Venable, Hedda Hopper, Grady Sutton and Charley Grapewin.
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