Director: Billy Wilder
Stars: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, George Raft, Joe E. Brown
Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are two jazz musicians living in prohibition era Chicago. After witnessing a gangland murder (On St. Valentines Day, 1929, natch), they're forced to go on the run. Being broke, and with notorious gangster 'Spats' Columbo (George Raft) likely searching every male band in the country for them, there's only one way out; dress in drag and pretend to be female jazz musicians, so as to join an all-girl band heading to Florida. On the trip they meet the sexy Sugar Kane (Monroe), who the two men end up competing for. But is Florida far enough away to escape Spats long reach? And how long can they keep up their ruse?
Though tame by todays standards, this ribald comedy pushed the Production Code to it's breaking point, and in fact ended up being released without MPAA approval. The dialogue is filled with racy double-entendres, and as you might guess from the title, there's a highly sexual vibe to the whole proceedings. The script, by Wilder and his frequent collaborator I.A.L.Diamond, is quite sharp at times, with some laugh out loud hilarious lines. It helps that the lead actors all have a handle on comedic roles. Lemmon in particular is on fire here, playing a kind of horny Joker, cackling at his own puns. There's a cute Scarface reference with George Raft; and like several Wilder films, it has a great last line.
The film looks good in stark black and white (Apparently, it was originally going to be in color, but the make-up on Lemmon and Curtis looked like shit), as shot by the prolific Charles Lang. Adolph Deutsch's music is zippy, and helps keep the rhythm of the film flowing. There are a few musical numbers, most notably Marilyn Monroe singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You"and "I'm Through With Love" in a translucent, almost pornographic dress.
Which brings us around to the demerits. The movie is ludicrously sexist, as none of the female characters are shown to have a brain in their head (Except for the conductor, who's just an asshole), and are simply here to be ogled, groped, or divvied up by the various rich Floridian retirees. Granted, it's obviously a male fantasy film, and the product of it's era, so it gets a slight contextual pass. What I'm not giving it a pass on is the pacing; soon after they arrive in Florida, the movie slows WAY down, which is jarring after the jaunty, jazz-like energy we start with. It picks up at the climax, but for being as lightweight as it is, it feels a little too long at 120 minutes.
Quibbles aside, it's well worth a watch, and is held in high esteem. So much so, in fact, that the American Film Institute voted it as the Best Comedy Film of all time, and 14th Best Movie of all time. I get the appeal, but for me, it's not even in my Top Five Billy Wilder films. Still, I gotta give it credit; it's success helped to bring about the end of the Production Code a mere decade later.
FREDERICK OPINES: GOOD
Buy it from Amazon! : Some Like It Hot (Collector's Edition)
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