The reviews are unanimously positive, with praise concentrated on Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn’s chemistry and Howard Hawks’s control of the farce. Most critics find the mismatched leads equally adept at physical mishaps, sexual innuendo and overlapping dialogue. Hawks’s pacing draws repeated admiration: the absurd situations accumulate quickly, but the comic timing remains precise. Across the reviews, Bringing Up Baby stands as a defining screwball comedy whose speed and eccentricity retain their appeal.
The differences concern emphasis more than approval, though enthusiasm ranges from warm appreciation to full marks. Variety notes some slackening of pace amid its praise for both leads. The New Yorker stresses the romance’s aggression and unequal desire, finding something troubling beneath the comedy. Time Out likewise sees the couple’s unsettling dynamic as part of the film’s enduring attraction. These darker readings complicate the broader celebration rather than amounting to a rejection.