Film

It Should Happen to You

Name: It Should Happen to You
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 1954
Cast: Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon, Michael O'Shea, Vaughn Taylor

Screwball comedy
Light-hearted

A 1954 romantic comedy about a jobless model who rents billboard space to promote herself across New York City, accidentally becoming famous. Judy Holliday carries the film with infectious charm and wit, balancing ambition against romance with a lightness that makes the whole thing feel effortless. It's a love letter to postwar New York and to wanting to matter.

TMDb rating

3.6

If you liked this

Sabrina1954

Also from 1954, with Audrey Hepburn caught between two men and her own reinvention in New York. Shares the same sparkling dialogue, elegant romanticism, and faith that a woman's ambition and a man's devotion can both be real.

But The class politics feel dated—Sabrina's fantasy hinges on marrying wealth, which sits uneasily with modern sensibilities.

Breakfast at Tiffany's1961

Audrey Hepburn again, as a woman determined to remake herself in Manhattan. It has that same blend of comedy, longing, and the specific magic of postwar New York. Holly Golightly is Gladys's spiritual cousin.

But The Henry Mancini score, while iconic, can feel saccharine if you're not in the mood for it. Some scenes haven't aged well.

Roman Holiday1953

Released the year before, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Same era, same romantic sweetness, same sense that being seen and loved are two different things. The chemistry between the leads is electric.

But It's deeply melancholy underneath the charm, and if you're looking for uncomplicated fun, that minor-key ending might deflate you.

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976

Both are about urban identity and the cost of being known. Gladys puts her name on billboards and finds love; this film's protagonist loses everything trying to protect his name. Same question asked in two opposite registers—one a comedy, one a tragedy. Both are essential if you want to think about what it means to matter.

John Cassavetes' film about a nightclub owner trying to stay afloat in Los Angeles. Sounds nothing like *It Should Happen to You*, but it shares an obsession with the question of what it means to have a name, a reputation, something that marks you as existing in a city. It's dark where the other is light.

But This is genuinely bleak and occasionally brutal. The pacing is deliberate, the cinematography is murky, and there's no romantic redemption. It's a completely different emotional experience.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor in pure joy. Like *It Should Happen to You*, it celebrates ambition and talent in a world of show business while never losing sight of romance. The energy is infectious.

But At 103 minutes it's longer and more elaborate. If you want something as brisk and intimate as *It Should Happen to You*, this sprawls by comparison.

Funny Face1957

Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire; she's a bookish woman transformed into a model, he's a fashion photographer. Shares the makeover-and-identity theme with real affection for its characters' inner lives.

But The fashion sequences go on longer than some viewers want, and the film's view of women's ambition is still pretty constrained by 1950s logic.

The Philadelphia Story1940

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in a comedy about a woman's complicated feelings about love and who she wants to be. Hepburn is magnificent, and the dialogue crackles.

But It's an older film and moves at its own pace. The class assumptions will feel quaint or annoying depending on your patience.

Auntie Mame1958

Rosalind Russell as a woman who refuses to shrink herself for anyone. It's vivacious, funny, and deeply affectionate about wanting to live large and make a mark on the world.

But Russell's performance is at maximum volume throughout. If you're exhausted by performative energy, this will wear you down.

Desk Set1957

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in a workplace comedy about a woman's competence and her romantic life coexisting. Smart, funny, and genuinely interested in both plot threads.

But The film's gender politics are progressive for 1957 but still feel like they're doing her a favor by letting her be smart and loved.

Woman of the Year1942

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn's first film together. She's a powerful journalist, he's a sportswriter; they're equals in wit and ambition. The screwball dialogue is excellent.

But The ending makes a sacrifice that reads as a compromise on her ambition. It's worth watching anyway, but prepare yourself.