Movie Review: Some Like It Hot

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Some funny parts

Cons: Not nearly enough of them; rushed ending

The Bottom Line: 

Not too many laughs

From a film that shows its age

I expected more

"We're Up the Creek and You Want to Hock the Paddle."

Yep, I'm about to take on another much loved movie.  After hearing about Some Like It Hot for years, I finally sat down and watched it.  And you know what?  It doesn't live up to the hype.

Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) are struggling jazz musicians in 1929 Chicago.  They are barely managing to put food in their mouths in fact.  They wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time and witness a mob hit.  In an effort to get out of town fast, they disguise themselves as women and join an all girl band going down to Florida for a three week tour.

It's not too long before they meet up with Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), the singer of their new band.  She is blond, gorgeous, and a potential problem for the two men who are both very attracted to her.  Will either of them win her?  Will their attraction blow their cover?

I have a feeling that my dislike of the movie was the simple fact that I've seen it done before and better.  With people in disguise and mistaken identities, I was expecting some rather funny slapstick.  And there were some funny scenes and some lines that did make me laugh.  But there weren't nearly enough of them.  In fact, several times I was thinking, "That scene could have been funnier."  Not the best reaction to a comedy.

And I've got to say that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are just ugly as women.  I kept having to remind myself it was just a movie and the fact that no one would buy their disguise for a minute was me expecting too much reality from a comedy.

This is the first movie I've seen with Marilyn Monroe, and I certainly understand why she is still so famous.  That woman is beautiful.  It's a shame it sounds like her personal life was a mess, but I get the attraction.

Um, now that I look completely shallow, let's move on, shall we?

Acting.  Yeah, that's a good change in topic.  I'm not going to fault anyone's performance here.  They were delightfully over the top in the scenes that were supposed to be funny and managed to dial it back for the more serious scenes.

The movie was filmed in black and white, but that doesn't spoil the locations at all.  The resort where much of the second half takes place looks magnificent.

Then there's the ending.  It felt like everyone was in a rush to finish things up, or at least finish the script.  That last scene was so rushed it took the movie down another peg.  I had a hard time believing some of the characters would actually behave the way they did.  Only in a comedy, I guess.  And there I am expecting realism from a movie again.  Having said that, I can't criticize the final exchanges of dialogue one bit.  They are some of the best moments in the film, and the last line is a classic for a reason.  It got the best laugh of the movie from me.

Overall, however, Some Like It Hot didn't live up to its reputation.  I think for modern audiences to appreciate it, they need to view it more in its historical context.  It's good for a few laughs, but it's not nearly as funny as it could be.