Norma Jeane Mortenson, a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe, was pretty emotionally damaged (frequently abandoned and placed in foster care and group homes, repeated childhood sexual abuse, mother diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, first married at 16 and divorced at 20, subject to abuse and domestic violence); she was a mess, and it isn’t as if the entertainment industry as a whole is a healthy place or encourages emotional development. Her drinking and pharmaceutical use put her in a downward spiral, and she really had no support system to bolster her emotional swings or encourage her to clean up.
I find it dull and boring. And I am sure that somewhere in Hollywood’s collective writing rom, there is a sign that says “Men in drag is always funny.”
I was just a kid when it came out, and like Roderick_Femm, I find more cartoonish than anything else, although I very much liked some of the performances.
I wonder if there’s an generational difference between those of us who have a strong dislike of the movie, and those of us who don’t take it seriously.
I haven’t seen it in years, so I’ll just say that I think Billy Wilder is one of the greatest writer/directors in film history. I’ve tried to watch as many of his films as possible. And I’ve always been astounded at the level of cynicism and societal criticism he got away with in the 1950s. He started the decade with the extremely famous Sunset Boulevard and the extremely little-known Ace in the Hole, but both are stunning looks at American excess.
I am eternally entertained by Joe E. Brown - zowie! what a hoot! ….. ‘ You must be quite a girl!’ - ‘ Wanna bet?’ ‘Your bull fiddle - do you use a bow or just pluck it?’ - ‘Usually I just SLAP it!’ and of course his closing dialogue….Husband watched it just to look at MM’s eye-popping dress - zowie! (She was pregnant at the time.). And I thought Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon (mostly) carried themselves with dignity and grace as ‘graduates of the Sheboygan Conservatory of music”.
Seen it twice, didn’t care for it either time. The “humor” of men in drag has always been lost on me. Jack Lemmon is at his most Jerry Lewis-like (Mr. Lewis had been offered the role first), more irritating than silly. Much of the latter part of the film seems devoted to extending one joke – Curtis’ supposed impotency – for several minutes. Looking at the story for anything more than trite and shallow themes is as useful imo as examining an episode of Gilligan’s Island for same as both utilize a universe inhabited by fools masquerading as human beings.
Apart from Mr. Schwartz’s vocal imitation of Mr. Leach and Mr. Raft’s cliché gangster portrayal (an easy payday for him), the most memorable performance was given by the spotlight on Monroe’s chest as she sings “I Wanna be Loved by You.”
Little known fact: Some Like it Hot was actually the third cinematic adaptation of the source material.
I saw it for the first time about 15 years ago and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think it remains the only Marilyn Monroe movie I’ve watched all the way through, and boy howdy, it’s no wonder she was a sex symbol. There’s one dress in particular she wore that I wouldn’t have expected to get past censors back then. Lemmon, Curtis, Monroe, and the other actors did a great job and the ending was just fantastic. “Nobody’s perfect.”
Ace In The Hole, featuring Kirk Douglas playing a has been journalist kicked out of every major newsroom for his sensationalistic approach to news at the expense of truth, manufacturing a story by not allowing a man trapped in an abandoned mine to be easily rescued, is not only a great movie but an exceptionally relevant one of ‘journalists’ willing to sacrifice not only the truth but the well-bring of their subjects just for attention.
I’ve seen all but two of Wilder’s films listed on his IMDb.com page and while he had better and worse films he never made a true dog in a long career, which is something few other directors can say. His collaborations with screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond were many of his best films but he had a way of taking dialogue and framing action to get the most of any screenplay. Both The Apartment and Sunset Blvd are films I watch every year around (usually on or after Christmas), each with a different but equally cynical take on how the protagonists get used by others albeit with their tacit acceptance.
I like to think that, had she not been typecast and battling her own demons, Monroe might have carved out a career arc similar to Elizabeth Taylor’s—another beauty queen (not to mention, Queen of the Nile). They would have excelled in different lanes: Marilyn in light comedy and romantic fare, Liz in serious, high-drama roles, but both had the charisma to stop a camera in its tracks.
Sure, Taylor’s beauty was exploited in films like Cleopatra, and she could command a scene just like Monroe, but Liz had the rare ability to strip away glamour and still dominate. Her turn in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? isn’t just good—it’s a masterclass in acting, one of the most fearless performances I’ve ever seen put on film.
The tragedy is, we’ll never know what Monroe’s “Virginia Woolf” might have been.
My opinion: Wilder’s Noirs and dramas with comedic elements are still great, but if I never watch any of his comedies again no big deal. SLIH, Irma la Deuce, One, Two, Three, Kiss Me Stupid: all overloaded with telegraphed punchlines, self-indulgent merriment, etc.
There’s a reason that, although Lemon and Matthau were onboard to make The Odd Couple, everyone involved was adamant that Wilder not direct.
those were both great, thank you for posting them!
I saw the movie for the first time not too long ago (I’m in my mid 60s) and I thought it was fun and enjoyable. I’d now watch it again, after reading this thread. And, I’ve never thought “men in drag” was necessarily funny, but then sometimes it is. Here, it was. Very good acting from everyone, I think.
it is a shame MM never got support for her issues, including addiction, what a waste.
As we all know, she’s not nearly the only one. Perhaps one of the highest-profile people to struggle with serious drug addiction. Think about the fact that serious drugs DID exist on the planet before Woodstock. Famous and infamous addicts, most of whom suffered in the shadows or the closet or both, while enjoying public acclaim.
It’s quite possible that, had she gotten clean enough to work with professionalism and consistency on set, she might have become quite the powerhouse.
