awful truth be anything but awfulin 1937 cary grant be already a hollywood giant . a dynamic actor and a genuine star . but in the ` awful truth and irene dunn take him to school . yes and mr. grant be as charismatic a usual and deliver his line marvelously and perfect in comedic timing and and demonstrate great physical humor . throughout most of the movie and grant and dunne spar on relatively equal term and each earn a fair share of the proliferus laughter generate by their antic . however and at the last hearty chuckle and it be clear that dunne have be toy with grant throughout . no and this be not a spoiler and have nothing to do with the storyline and but rather an evaluation of their performance . despite the magnificence of his and her be well . irene dunne be simply phenomenal and deserve her nomination for ` best actress . she be funny and charming and exuberant and conniving and manipulative and and intriguing . the movie be slow to find it foot and much time be waste a grant and dunn and in the slow portion and be not on camera together and thus unable to ` duel . but a the plot unfold the momentum build to a final crescendo and the mutual magic of these fine comedic artists delivers cascade upon cascade of laughter . the director leo mccarey and earn his best director oscar and toy with both the relatively new ` hayes code and the censor and imply with sensitivity and subtlety and a physical aspect of love and infatuation that be unnecessarily suppress in movie for decade . the witty ` doublespeak dialog at the end be fascinate a each of these protagonist explain the situation in self contradictory fashion and yet their meaning be unmistakable . yes and there be a predictable plot but the witty word and scrappy scheme be pleasant surprise .