"Some Like It Hot" Review

 

by Daniel White

I revisited the deliciously zany, Some Like It Hot (1959). He called gay director Mitchell Leisen, a "stupid fairy," which is a very ugly slur. But I wanted to salute the sexy, sensational Marilyn Monroe. One cannot pay homage to the sizzling superstar without watching this classic comedy, her loftiest cinematic achievement. Co-written, directed and produced by Billy Wilder (he may be a schmuck, but he's a talented one), Some Like It Hot could very well be the funniest film to come out of the Golden Age of Hollywood. That's saying a lot, forTinseltown, in its glorious heyday, made some very funny flicks.

Monroe is the female lead, a ukulele strumming, jazz baby named Sugar. But she's not the only "lady" laugh-getter in this side splitter set in 1929. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play Joe and Jerry, a pair of Chicago musicians in drag who supply their share of mirth and orchestrated mayhem. Nobody outshines Marilyn (you can't take your eyes off her when she's on screen), but they maintain a madcap pulse-racing pace alongside the platinum blonde icon.

Witnesses to a gangland killing, Jerry and Joe split Chi-town in skirts with an all-girl band heading to Florida. Masquerading as a couple of chicks, they encounter a weary-yet-winsome Sugar, who's running away herself - from bad romances with love-'em-and-leave-'em louses.

A comedy gem that never falters from its opening scene to its legendary last line, Some Like It Hot is possibly that rarest of specimens - a perfect movie.

Marilyn placed sixth on AFI's list of greatest actresses, but perhaps she doesn't belong there at all. She's a unique celluloid creation, separate from the others. Her appeal is as obvious as it is elusive, she's a gorgeous contradiction. Radiating an interior glow, she outshines all the other glamour gals, making it look effortless (though the reality is a much different, darker tale). She may not be the sexiest dame on screen and is definitely not its most accomplished actress. Not the most polished songstress or the most agile hoofer. Hell, she's not even in my top ten of favorite female film stars. But she is the most magical. The camera loved her - and so do I.

Provocatively dressed by another talented "fairy," Orry-Kelly (he won the film's only Oscar), in outfits the voluptuous Monroe is sexily spilling out of, Some Like It Hot is currently available on Tubi.