--- title: "Born Yesterday: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/born-yesterday/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/born-yesterday" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Born Yesterday (1950): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics agree this is a bright, biting comedy that keeps the wit and satire of Garson Kanin’s play, and nearly all of them say it belongs to Judy Holliday. Her Billie Dawn is praised for the malaprops, the timing, and the way she plays a woman cleverer than she lets on; several reviews say the film is more or less all about her. George Cukor’s handling of the cast draws steady credit, and William Holden is noted as quietly effective. The reservations are few and mostly concern the men and the stage. Variety finds Broderick Crawford’s junk dealer loud and boorish, missing the sympathy he had in the theatre, while The Times counts his chemistry with Holliday as a strength. Empire is the lone mixed voice, finding the adaptation overly theatrical, Holliday’s performance calculated on screen, and the heroine merely swapping one dependence for another. The New Yorker notes the politics have dated. The spread is narrow. ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2024. The critic calls the film bright, infectious, and delightful entertainment that retains the play's sharp wit and penetrating satire. They single out Judy Holliday's triumphant performance as Billie Dawn as the element that makes the film work, noting it is all about her. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/born-yesterday-judy-holliday-movie-1236074706/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 December 1950. The critic calls the Columbia screen version of the Garson Kanin play one of the best pictures of the year, praising its firm social implications, Judy Holliday's priceless performance, and George Cukor's direction that balances humor and moral. Broderick Crawford's portrayal of the brutish junk dealer is singled out as particularly effective in its sting and corruption. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1950/12/27/archives/the-screen-in-review-born-yesterday-is-reborn-on-film-in-columbias.html) ## The Times — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2014. The review celebrates Judy Holliday's Oscar-winning performance as the central comic force in this romantic comedy. It highlights the strong chemistry between Holliday and Broderick Crawford, along with Holliday's expressive range from hilarity to poignancy. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/business/article/classic-film-of-the-week-born-yesterday-1950-k5dwz8vl6rq) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2012. Cukor's screen version of Garson Kanin's play is still a delight despite its celebration of American democratic ideals. The critic singles out the sharp, witty script and Cukor's handling of the performances, especially Judy Holliday and Broderick Crawford. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/born-yesterday) ## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 1970. The review celebrates Judy Holliday's performance in the George Cukor film as one of her best, highlighting her alert skepticism, comic timing, and the way she portrays Billie Dawn as an intelligent survivor who masks her brains. It notes the film's sweet affection for American survivalists while acknowledging some dated political elements. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1970/07/25/the-current-cinema-15) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1949. The bright, biting comedy adapts easily to film, with Judy Holliday repeating her stage success and almost alone making the picture through her delightful malaprops and artful delivery. William Holden is quietly effective, though Broderick Crawford's junk dealer comes off as merely loud and boorish without the sympathy of the stage version. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1949/film/reviews/born-yesterday-2-1200416705/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2006. The critic praises the story and cast but finds the adaptation overly theatrical, with Judy Holliday's performance retaining stage traits that feel calculated on screen. The empowered lead loses some appeal and merely shifts dependence from one man to another. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/born-yesterday-2-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Sabina Stent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2014. Festival review. The critic calls the film a pleasure from start to finish, praising Judy Holliday's fantastic, funny, sweet and endearing performance as Billie Dawn that proves there is no such thing as a dumb blonde. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/born-yesterday-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/born-yesterday.md