Review of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) by Leesa M — 24 Apr 2012

Perhaps I will never be a fan of Howard Hawks's comedies. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes left a bad taste in my mouth. The moral of the story is that guys can fall for pretty girls, just like girls can fall for rich guys.

This is highly ridiculous. It's basically saying that falling for pretty girls is just a fact of life, and girls don't go for the good looking guys. I was waiting for the moment where they would make fun of this idea.

No, it never happens. Dorothy Shaw really likes Ernie Malone even though he screwed her over. Oh yeah, and he doesn't have money. That should be good enough, right? No, because they show us that she isn't making the best decision, but at least she's following her heart.

Lorelei tells her that she needs to fall for a rich man so that she can focus on loving him and not worry about where money is coming from. All of this could be made into a joke to make fun of her, but when she says these things everyone agrees with her.

They tell her that she can be pretty smart sometimes. In the end, we are supposed to believe that Lorelei loves Gus and that his money is just a plus. I'm sure. Just like how she hung out with Piggy because he's interesting.

No, she had her eyes on the tiara and wanted to find a way to get it. And before the tiara, she knew she was trying for some kind of diamonds. The film really tells the audience that loving money and everything it can buy you is the best way to live.

No wonder why other countries were getting pissed of with the Hollywood style storytelling and sought out to do something completely different. The entire film is filled with big money, big stars, and big sets with barely any heart.

The only character I felt anything for was Dorothy. I felt bad that she was trapped in such a terrible film. The musical numbers end in typical musical fashion. There really was nothing new here. A year before, a film was so magical that it swept the audiences and set itself in history books and deserved its place.

It was original, fun, and full of heart. This was Singin' in the Rain. What was Hawks doing here? Either I missed something huge, or this film really doesn't deserve the recognition it has.