the awful truth be the quintessential romantic comedy base on a misunderstanding between the protagonist . jerry and lucy warriner ( irene dunne and cary grant ) be a married couple who get a divorce their only point of contention appear to be the custody of their dog mr smith because jerry think lucy cheat on him with her vocal coach duvalle ( darcy ) . the theme of the film be that a marriage must be build on trust and without doubt and suspicion . what odd and then and be that jerry spend the first half of the film try to win lucy back when he be the one who hadn not trust her in the first place . lucy spend the second half try to win jerry back and after he fall for the same misunderstanding again when he happen upon duvalle hiding in the other room in her apartment . what strike me a odd be that the misunderstand the entire film be base on be so small a to be insignificant . why doesn not lucy just come right out and say that she do not do anything wrong . what so difficult about say and my vocal coach come over this afternoon after i run away to see if i be alright . why shove him in a room only to have the farce start all over again . ( i suppose and in the end and that be the point . she doesn not clear up the misunderstanding a most sensible adult would because then the film itself wouldn not exist . ) so the plot of the film isn not particularly strong what be it save grace . it probably get to be the performance give by the lead member of the cast cary grant be everything you would ever want cary grant to be . charm and debonair and gleeful and playful and mischievous and vulnerable and hurt represent every emotion that grant so skilfully and mesmerisingly display through his career be available here and possibly for the first time in one irresistible package . irene dunne be beautiful and very funny in her role as well ( mild spoiler ahead ) and especially when she assume the role of lola warriner to mess up jerry situation with barbara . a real pleasant surprise be ralph bellamy a dan represent he play the perfect country bumpkin and and practically steal the picture with his constant singing of home on the range and his fervent hug swinging of lucy and and declare that he so happy that and why and he could eat three steak . most of the film feel like set piece string together to showcase the comedic talent of the star . the film itself most certainly suffers for it ( since the plot twist do not often make sense ) and but the performance be absolute classic . some of the best moment include lucy breakfast chat with her acerbic aunt ( play delightfully by cecil cunningham ) while dan cup win turn around the dance floor with lucy while and duvalle hightail out of lucy apartment with jerry right on his heel . the end as well be play out in a delightfully suggestive and sexy way and something that could only have be do with the inventiveness need to get around the hay code in those day . if youre look for laugh a minute comedy and you would be good off with bring up baby . and if it romance youre after and you probably couldn not do good than the philadelphia story . ( both cary grant classic . ) but this film do a pretty good job of meld the element of comedy and romance into one coherent whole . the awful truth be definitely one for true grant aficionado and but it be no doubt a great way to spend a couple of hour .