Some Like It Hot (1959)

By Vince Man
August 16, 2006

If Marilyn Monroe is the epitome of hot, then the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot was inappropriately named. Instead, it should've been named If You Don't Like it Hot, What the Hell is Wrong With You?

Monroe, playing the delicious Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, steals the show in a film that will have you laughing from beginning to end. Known primarily for being a sex symbol, the original Playboy pin-up is surprisingly hysterical, albeit as an airhead. Still, among all the blonde airheads that followed Sugar, this bubbly bombshell blows away the likes of Daisy Duke, Elle Woods, and Valerie Irons (I still love you, Pam).

Sugar is a supporting character to the equally uproarious leads Joe, played by Tony Curtis, and Jerry, played by Jack Lemmon, who find themselves in survival mode when they witness a mob hit in the prohibition-era Chicago. To escape certain death via mob mogul Spats Colombo's gat, the two musicians join an orchestra band on its way to Florida. With their lives hanging in the balance, Joe and Jerry meet the requirement to join the band - that is of being the opposite sex!

Joe transforms into 'Josephine' and Jerry disguises himself as 'Daphne'. Weirdly enough, they make very attractive women, but also, they form a dynamic duo. The two feed off one another like a married couple, with Joe normally being dominant over a feeble Jerry. These characteristics carry on into each man's (or woman's) romantic relationships that follow.

Enter Sugar. She walks onto the screen literally strutting her goods to which Jerry remarks, "Look how she moves. Like Jell-O on springs. She must have some sort of built-in motor. I tell you, it's a whole different sex." Needless to say, both he and Joe have their jaws dropped below their makeshift B-cups. Had they been real women, I am convinced they would have been gawking at Sugar all the same.

Cross dressing antics ensue as both 'Josephine' and 'Daphne' repeatedly evade others from discovering their secret, though even if their wigs fell off, Sugar probably wouldn't have put two and two together. This loveable incompetence continues as Joe takes on yet another identity to have the Playboy Bunny fall in love with him. This identity, 'Junior', the heir to an oil tycoon, is even more ridiculous than 'Josephine' and 'Daphne'. Surely, anyone else would've caught on to Joe's schemes, yet Sugar takes the bait.

Yes, much of the review has been devoted so far to Monroe and her character Sugar, but that doesn't mean I'll stop. Monroe lights up the screen every time she appears and plays the role to a tee. Her dumbfounded looks and obliviousness to everything around her give you a warm and fuzzy feeling (aww). Furthermore, with Sugar's confession, "I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop," you can't help but fall deeper in love with her. You can compare her to Jessica Simpson, only Sugar is a fictional character, which makes her adorable, whereas Simpson regrettably is a living, breathing, thinking(?) human being, which makes you want to puke the tuna that you had for lunch - or was it chicken?

The chemistry between the three mentioned actors results in top notch work. Had Monroe not played Sugar, the movie most likely would've been a hit still, but Monroe pushes it over the top and makes it worthy of being labeled a classic.

Entertainment 9/10

Some Like It Hot is a witty comedy, unlike many of the modern ones which border preposterous. How can two cross dressers not be classified as preposterous? I'm not sure either, but I never questioned the plot while I watched the flick.

Amidst my rant on Monroe's efforts, I failed to mention the relationship between Jerry/Daphne and her suitor, Osgood Fielding III, played by Joe E. Brown. This bond between two men, though Osgood is unaware of the fact, provides supplementary comedy to the relationship between Sugar and Joe/Junior. It provides the sensational scene in which the two are ballroom dancing and the each take turns leading. Though Jerry never loses sight of his real gender, he is swept off his feet and agrees to marry the unwitting Osgood. Apparently men get a little self-conscious, as he admits he wants to marry his suitor for "security."

To cap off the light-hearted moments, you have a spectacular chase scene throughout the halls of a hotel where the mobsters are trying to get their hands on the two murder witnesses. The only thing missing was the Benny Hill music!

Innovation 8/10

Long before 1995's To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Curtis and Lemmon played more pleasing cross dressers. Though they surely weren't the first to switch teams so to speak, they furthered the brand to which is pretty regular these days. The sexual innuendos that are aplenty when the cross dressers appear, come off as being clever rather than offensive, and because of this, the laughs just keep coming.

Emotional Resonance 8/10

You can't help but fall in love with Monroe's Sugar. When she's on the screen, she commands full attention and sympathy for repeatedly losing in the game of love. With so much invested in this character, it's difficult not to feel for Joe, who has the problem of breaking the bad news to her.

Joe and Jerry also establish themselves as crowd favourites. Though they're not squeaky clean, you side with them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely the mobsters won't hurt a cross dresser that's engaged to a man that doesn't know her true sex, right?

Social Context 8/10

The film delves into many societal issues prevalent in both the past and present. Though they don't explore them in depth, they are definitely there, whether it be organized crime, gender ambiguity or dysfunctional relationships. Some Like It Hot introduces these topics but satirizes them for you to make conclusions on your own...if you bother.

Recall 9/10

There are so many memorable scenes I haven't mentioned, like the scene in which Jerry/Daphne goes swimming with the rest of the female band members. He hams it up like a true ditz. Perhaps he's in such a great mood because he's experiencing severe shrinkage.

Overall 84%

Everything adds up to this film being a true masterpiece, but again, I stress that Marilyn Monroe has a major contribution to that. She is mesmerizing and deserves to be heralded for her efforts. The trail for bubbly blondes in movies has been blazed as a result, but sadly hasn't been matched. Perhaps those that don't like it hot are Monroe's jealous and inferior imitators.

Running Time: 2 hours
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Billy Wilder
Story: Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan Screenplay: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Director of Photography: Charles Lang Jr.
Editor: Arthur P. Schmidt
Music: Adolph Deutsch