It Happened One Night (1934)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:30
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8.7/10
Consensus: Capturing its stars and director at their finest, It Happened One Night remains unsurpassed by the countless romantic comedies it has inspired.
Synopsis: Director Frank Capra and his two stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, stole hearts and a quintet of Oscars with this sparkling, legendary romantic comedy. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT is based on the... [More]
Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Alan Hale
Director: Frank Capra
Reviews for It Happened One Night
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Instead of attempting a journalistic study of bus-travel, regularly punctuated by comic touches, Director Frank Capra and Robert Riskin who adapted Samuel Hopkins Adams' story, fused the two. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
An old school classic. Full Review |
||
|
|
With Gable and Colbert on top form this is a charming and memorable comedy. Full Review |
||
|
|
One of those stories that without a particularly strong plot manages to come through in a big way, due to the acting, dialog, situations and direction. Full Review |
||
|
3.5/5 |
The story of a runaway heiress falling in with a devilish, wise-cracking reporter on a cross-country roadtrip now seems like a cliché only because so many other films have copied its structure. Full Review |
||
|
A |
This charming romantic comedy, while grounded in the context of the Depression, offered light fare that's uncharacteristic of Capra. It might have been the first true sleeper since no one involved anticipated such critical and commercial success. Full Review |
||
|
|
This is Capra at his best, very funny and very light, with a minimum of populist posturing. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
Only minorly dated, this film would play well for modern audiences despite being more than 70 years old. Full Review |
||
|
|
Capra's sense of humour is a little like that of Preston Sturges, though less caustic; and the film shows its stars at their best, Colbert as one of Hollywood's fresher comediennes, Gable as dumb-but-loveable hunk. Full Review |
||
|
3.5/5 |
Who can resist a movie where the girl's father provides his daughter with a getaway car from her own wedding? Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
It Happened One Night is a true classic in every sense of the word, one that withstands the test of time and indeed defies it completely. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
The romantic comedy that all others draw from, few imitate effectively, and none have been able to replicate. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
No review available.
|
||
|
B+ |
A very funny and breezy comedy. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
No review available.
|
||
 2/5 |
No review available.
|
||
|
5/5 |
Not only will the Walls of Jericho fall, but so will the walls of your heart. Full Review |
||
|
A- |
One of the most enduring romantic comedies of Hollywood’s golden age… The opposites-attract comedy still works, though Gable’s dismissive treatment of pampered Colbert, which played well with Depression-era audiences, seems dated today. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
It Happened One Night is a good piece of fiction, which, with all its feverish stunts, is blessed with bright dialogue and a good quota of relatively restrained scenes. Full Review |
||
|
|
This classic comedy is the first movie ever to sweep the five major Oscar categories. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for It Happened One Night
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Movieline gets bravely swept away with the recycled refuse of the 2000s.
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
We're giving away a bunch of stuff from the upcoming Squeakquel.
IGN RSS Feeds