Some Like It Hot (1959)

IMDb Top 250 Ranking - #88

As a self-proclaimed film enthusiast it may shock some when I confess that prior to about two days ago I had never seen either a Marilyn Monroe film or, as hailed by some, the greatest American comedy in film history. I admit that, now my eyes have been exposed to the pure brilliance of this screwball film, I’m a little shocked too. How is it possible? But, never fear, my bordering-on-sinful neglect of this gem is a thing of the past. In fact I may now abuse the rights of my eyes and my sanity by watching and re-watching this until the disc is hot from overuse and the TV bill has been left unpaid (just kidding, I don’t even own a TV).

Now with my overly-enthusiastic lamentation of this neglect firmly in the past, I can get onto the real business. What was it like? Was Monroe any good? Do I secretly wish Daphne was my best friend and not in fact a boy pretending to be a suspiciously-large-shouldered-girl? Never fear, these questions will be answered in time and with far too many adjectives in between.

Firstly though, I’m gonna go old-school with you and begin my thoughts for the film at the beginning. I’m sorry if this bores you, I guess I’m a stickler for tradition (maybe when I get a little better at this whole blogging thing I’ll mix it up and tell you what I thought of the end…at the beginning…?).

So we start with your classic car chase, except unlike the car chases of the 21st century which increasingly feature scantily-clad women and men with sweaty shirts and day-old stubble, this one felt bare, stripped down. No dramatics, well apart from the shooting guns that is. Two cars, one carrying away an Italian mob and the other a group of seventy-year-old policemen desperately looking for an arrest. This is clearly important, as any opening scene would be. The reason for its importance clearly marking the introduction of the films antagonists – those grey-haired mobsters just don’t know when to give up, do they? 

Fast-forward about fifteen minutes into the movie (yeah, just gonna skip over when we first meet our protagonists, this isn't a recap after all) and we see these same mobsters shooting what appear to be a rival gang while the protagonists witness in a corner clutching their life-saving instruments. Then the fun begins. We see our protagonists, Jerry and Joe or ‘Daphne’ and ‘Josephine’ as there referred to for much of the film, high-tail it out of there just in time, narrowly avoiding your classic ‘get-rid-of-the-witness’ murder. This is where the dressing up as women, falling in lust with Monroe and travelling to Florida to marry wrinkly millionaires comes in. However I think I’ll dispense with the description and go straight ahead with the ‘Well-was-it-any-good?’ question.

One of the best scenes of the film, here Jack Lemmon's character can be seen as the reluctant-romancer/seducer of millionaire nonce Osgood (played by Joe E. Brown).

To put it short, yes. Monroe is as expected, slightly airhead-y and typically gorgeous in that old-Hollywood ‘oh-I’m-such-a-damsel’ sort of way. The real shining star of the movie was, for me, Jack Lemmon, who played Jerry/Daphne. This man is a genius for comic timing and his hyperbolic femininity is both cringe-worthy and hilarious. His relationship with the millionaire is a strange one and, even though it was set and filmed in the 1950s, the film seemed awfully tolerant of the idea of a same sex relationship. But, then again, maybe I’m being hopeful and naive, after all the relationship is never treated with even an ounce of seriousness.

All in all, yes, it is definitely the king of comedies and something any avid film-goer should see. Highlights include the elicit train party held by ‘Daphne’ in her 5-by-5 room and the chase scene and escape at the end. Because who doesn't love it when the good guy beats the bad?!

Best line: 
Daphne: Osgood, I'm gonna level with you, I can't marry you...I'm a man!

Osgood: Well, nobody's perfect...

To cut a long story short... 
Would I recommend this? Yes, especially if you appreciate a good black and white film and want to see where comedy found its roots (FYI, this is basically the original 'White Chicks', so if you've seen and loved that, chances are your going to like this). A film ramblers star rating? 

That's it for now folks...