Without doubt, one of the weakest of the Tracy-Hepburn films, still somewhat better than "Desk Set" in 1957.Keenan Wynn really does some really good ham acting earlier in the film when he appears drunk. Lucille Ball, of all people, nearly plays it quite straight as a Realtor on the make for Wynn. These 2 potentially comical people really aren't that funny here. In fact, later in the film, it seems that Hepburn borrows some of the Ball antics later used on television's "I Love Lucy."Even with the title, we know how this is going to turn out: There has to be love, even for a couple joined together as he rejects love due to a bad experience, and she is rejecting it after her ideal marriage ends with the tragic death of her husband. This is supposed to be a marriage of convenience in war-time Washington.The science sequences are ridiculous at best.Little use is made of Patricia Morison, who gives quite a bitchy performance as a nasty, wealthy woman. She is the epitome of bitterness here.While the science sequences are inane, the picture's oxygen is literally sucked out.

The problem I have with this movie as well as a few other Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy pairings is how she knuckles under his chauvinism. Sure, it was the way it was back in the day but this is the pants- wearing feminist Katharine Hepburn. Her personality is as big as her talent and in such movies, the two just don't mesh. As such, try as I might to look past it, I can't appreciate some of her movies as much as I want to.Without Love is otherwise a pleasant enough movie with a similar plot to The Mirror Has Two Faces, in which two people marry for convenience and wind up falling for each other (though of course the woman has secretly loved the man all along). But unlike the latter movie, the man doesn't come crawling back once he realizes he's lost the woman he loves. Tracy somewhat ambles back and it's a whole lot less satisfying than Jeff Bridges standing below Barbra Streisand's apartment building yelling how much he loves her. Lucille Ball's in this movie too but she doesn't get too much screen time, naturally, though at least she gets to wisecrack a bit.It's a little sad when I realize that Tracy's pet dog was the best thing in this movie. Asta the terrier from The Thin Man was cute too but in that movie he served as a foil to the ace pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy.

WITHOUT LOVE is such an uneven film--some of it is quite inspired--but it's safe to say that there are a few scenes that make it worth watching even if it is a bit overlong in getting to its inevitable conclusion. Hepburn and Tracy are at their most polished as romantic partners. The subplot is handled with skill by Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn (who does a great drunken bit) and fans of Tracy and Hepburn won't be disappointed in their handling of rather unusual roles.Hepburn has never been one of my particular favorites--I find her mannerisms are a turn-off by the time any film starring her has gone beyond fifteen minutes--but here she is actually showing a warmth, tenderness and vulnerability that she seldom really showed in any of her more well-known comedy roles. And Tracy is so natural, you forget he is just acting.The plot has two unlikely people who have given up love for opposite reasons actually finding out that they truly do love each other--but not until the last reel. All of their scenes are enhanced by the added device of having a dog who looks just like Toto (from the 'Wizard of Oz') steal many a scene. For added measure, Lucille Ball pops up in a brief but delightful supporting role opposite Keenan Wynn.Hepburn is more appealing here than she was as the stuck-up heroine of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY and the story, although predictable, has some very unusual touches that make it well worth watching, especially if you're fans of Hepburn or Tracy.Patricia Morison has a thankless supporting role and Gloria Grahame has a brief bit as a flower girl allergic to flowers in a nightclub scene.

I'll refrain from a lengthy post, unlike many others in here. This film is entertaining, but also bizarre. Hepburn and Tracy are always a pleasure, but the whole scenario seems a bit out of whack. Wynn and Ball are excellent in their supporting roles, although Wynn's character seems to disappear towards the end, and there is zero chemistry between the two. Frankly, if this film/play were staged today, Ball's character would be a man, and Wynn's would be gay. Yes, Dizzy the dog did steal many of the scenes. I'm surprised some of the double entendres made it past the Hayes Code, although I'm certain Barry's original play is much more risque.Turner Classic Movies plays this film during "theme" periods, and today I watched it immediately after "Woman of the Year." The latter film has a final scene which is quite annoying, and demeaning to Hepburn's character. Ironically, considering Hepburn's real-life independence, her pairings with Tracy always seem to require that she be "dressed down."