Review of Some Like It Hot (1959) by Chrismizerak — 19 Feb 2020

Writer-director Billy Wilder’s bright and breezy 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot” was a big game changer, in the veins of “Psycho”, since it challenged what was acceptable to show in films at the time.

In this current day and age when folks in the LGBT+ community are gaining better acceptance in society, it’s probably unimaginable that a film such as this one would be controversial back in the 1950’s.

“Some Like It Hot” wasn’t a film that changed the industry, but rather the industry was changed by this film. The plot consists of two musicians from Chicago, played by the well-paired Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, fleeing from dangerous gangsters after witnessing a massacre.

They dress in drag and join an all-women band headed for Miami. One of said musicians, arguably both, builds an immense attraction to the band’s heavy-drinking lead singer, played by the ideally cast Marilyn Monroe.

From there, the two musicians compete with each other over their romantic goals, the gangsters show up in Miami, etc. What makes “Some Like It Hot” retain its charm and entertainment value, outside of breaking then-Hollywood norms, lies within the writing and direction.

Billy Wilder was an exceptionally talented creative force on multiple levels. He could tackle comedy, both light and dark. He could write juicy dialogue and interactions no matter the given situation at hand.

And of course, he could make it all come together seamlessly regardless of how wacky the series of events ends up being. In the case of “Some Like It Hot”, we have a comedy that needs to stay light and fluffy, despite our leads having to dodge threatening mobsters and gunfire.

We have two romances taking place for each musician, one involving their female persona with a rich playboy, played by Joe E. Brown, and the other being a straight relationship with Marilyn Monroe via another disguise.

Any way you dice it, there’s no denying the expertise Wilder exerts in executing the final product. Jack Lemmon shows us why he’s one of the best comedic actors out there with his nervous energy, dry quips, and cynical wisecracks.

His night with Monroe on the train to Miami in particular shows off his stellar comedic skills. The humor and gags have remarkable timing and satisfying payoffs. Monroe shows a bouncy playfulness and sweet tenderness to her struggling character.

As the film’s closing line goes, “Nobody’s perfect”. But “Some Like It Hot” comes pretty darn close to perfection if you ask me.