WISE Score
Avg. Tomatometer
A paleontologist's quest to finish a brontosaurus skeleton is derailed by a socialite, a missing 'intercostal clavicle,' and a literal leopard in the house.
7.897%
91
If you think your kids won't watch a movie from 1938, this is the one to prove you wrong. It's a frantic, hilarious mess in the best way possible.
There’s no moralizing, no 'learning a lesson,' and no slow patches. It’s just Cary Grant losing his mind while Katharine Hepburn creates beautiful, leopard-themed chaos. If they can handle the black-and-white barrier, they'll find it funnier than most things on Netflix today.
Best for ages 7 and up. Younger kids will love the slapstick and the animals, while older kids will actually catch the witty insults. It's a '99' on the high end because it's genuinely a perfect movie for adults.
It is pure, chaotic energy without a mean bone in its body. The central relationship is built on frustration and charm rather than toxicity, and the 'peril' is purely for laughs.
While a standard screwball setup, the introduction of a pet leopard and the increasingly absurd logic of the plot keeps it feeling fresh even 80+ years later.
A product of the Hays Code era, so it's squeaky clean. No gore, no language, and the 'violence' is cartoonish slapstick. The only real hazard is a very confused leopard.
A masterclass in comedic timing and verbal sparring. It’s a great entry point for kids to realize that 'old' movies can actually be faster and funnier than modern ones.
Bringing Up Baby is the gold standard of the screwball comedy. If you’ve ever watched a modern movie where two people hate-flirt while everything around them explodes, you’re watching a descendant of this film. Howard Hawks directed this with a specific instruction to the actors: speak faster. The result is a movie that feels surprisingly modern in its pacing, even if the tech is non-existent.
Most 'classics' are recommended because they are 'important' or 'moving.' This is recommended because it is ridiculous. Kids respond to the clear power dynamic shift—David (Grant) is the serious adult who just wants to do his job, and Susan (Hepburn) is the personification of pure, unbridled play.
There is also a dog. George, the wire-haired fox terrier (the same dog from The Thin Man), is a comedic MVP here. His subplot of stealing and burying a vital dinosaur bone is a hit with anyone who has ever owned a pet that won't give back a shoe.
To get a modern kid into this, don't frame it as a history lesson. Frame it as a movie about a guy who accidentally ends up with a leopard in his car. Once the leopard shows up, the 1938 of it all fades into the background. It’s a great 'bridge' movie—something that builds the stamina for longer, more complex films while delivering immediate, slapstick rewards.
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