The classic comedies Jake Gyllenhaal couldn’t live without: “The two of them will never, ever age”
When you think of Jake Gyllenhaal, you probably think of him in an action movie or a thriller. His best-known works include David Fincher’s Zodiac, Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, and Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler. He got into absolutely insane shape for his role in the 2024 remake of Road House and has played men of action in the boxing movie Southpaw and Michael Bay’s high-octane car chase flick, Ambulance.
Sometimes, though, Maggie’s brother shows off a different side of his personality. He reunited with his Brokeback Mountain co-star Anne Hathaway in the 2010 romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs and played Naomi Watts’ romantic interest in 2015’s Demolition. He’s clearly able to turn on the laughs when he wants to, which might explain why he has such a fondness for classic comedies.
The Donnie Darko star sat down with Rotten Tomatoes to talk about his five favourite films. Alongside well-known hits like The Goonies and Jerry Maguire, Gyllenhaal spoke about two films starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The first one, which actually made the list, was Woman of the Year from 1942, in which the pair play two journalists who fall in love and get married. The second was George Cukor’s Adam’s Rib from seven years later, which pitted the two against each other as rival lawyers.
“I don’t know if you can say one of them,” Gyllenhaal said, agonising over having to leave one of them out. “The two of them together will never, ever age. There are scenes in those movies together that could be when you’re watching them today, in this moment. I remember those movies and my mother would always love those movies, and I would watch those movies with her, particularly Woman of the Year. I remember feeling very specifically about that movie that I love so much, which is how Spencer Tracy cracks his eggs while he’s making an omelette. I will always crack my eggs like Spencer Tracy because of that movie.”
The Woman of the Year received rave reviews upon its release. Director George Stevens, who was on loan to MGM from rival studio RKO, was the first to realise the potential of Tracy and Hepburn as a comedic duo. The domineering female star was notoriously hard to get on with, but ended up getting on with her male colleague so much that they began dating in real life. Though they never married, they maintained a secret romance – Tracy was married to someone else when they met, and the studios were keen to prevent a scandal – until Tracy’s death in 1967.
The pair ended up starring in nine movies together; mainly romantic comedies, but with the odd drama or Western thrown in for prosperity. Adam’s Rib is often held up as one of their finest collaborations. The American Film Institute named it among the ten greatest romantic comedies of all time. The Hepburn-Tracy relationship continues to inspire actors in the modern age, with Gyllenhaal being one of many major stars to sing their praises.
Be it The Woman of the Year, Adam’s Rib, or any of their other brilliant movies, Hepburn and Tracy’s performances are just as captivating now as they were over eight decades ago. Gyllenhaal wasn’t joking when he said he found it tough to pick just one.
