AFI 100 Review: #14 Some Like It Hot

A friend of mine, Jeremy, had previously suggested when I restarted my blog that I continue my reviewing of all 100 of the AFI Greatest Movies of All Time (1998). I got a cd of Christmas music from Jeremy today; something that Jeremy continues to do every year, even though I don't see him but once or twice a year anymore. Since he's committed to that tradition, I figure I can finish what I started with the AFI thing.

Some Like It Hot

1959

Directed By: Billy Wilder

Written By: Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe

The Acting: The stories about Marilyn Monroe's behavior on set are legendary. Stories like her needing over 30 takes to deliver lines like, "It's me, Sugar." And she apparently still needed it written down to the side of the camera before she could finally get it right. She was obviously the big star here, and if you can forget the stories about her, her performance is pretty fun. She plays ditzy convincingly and occasionally gets a laugh in. (There's the potential for an entire post devoted to her dresses that make it look like she's exposing her breasts.)

Tony Curtis has never been a real favorite of mine. I don't have any reason not to like him, but I just don't love him. Here, he gets points from me for making fun of Cary Grant; someone I really don't care for. Bonus points for the fact that Cary Grant didn't like Tony Curtis making fun of him. Curtis plays the straight man for most of this movie, but occasionally gets some solid laughs in.

Jack Lemmon is the stand out here. This wasn't his first film by any means. His biggest before this was Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda. But this was a film where he stands out head and shoulders above the other actors.

His delivery, his gestures, and his looks are golden. I find myself backing up and watching the scenes where he really shines over and over. If you want a specific example of what I'm talking about, check him out just after they get on the train, when he comments about "men" and how he does everything to avoid them. His lines are funny enough, but he sneaks a glare in right at the end that makes me cry.

Interesting: What's interesting to me about this story is the fact that it is one of the few films to have been given a "Condemned" rating from the Roman Catholic Church's Legion of Decency; an organization created in 1933 to combat objectionable content in movies. It actually still exists, but has been rolled into other organizations within the Catholic Church and doesn't really wield the power that it did when this film came out. (And before you go down that path, I was raised Catholic and have a friend who reviews movies for a Catholic website that are very much on point.)

The "Condemned" rating no doubt came from the fact that the majority of the movie is spent with two of our stars in drag, one of whom ends up engaged to a man who doesn't realize he's a man in drag. And when on the verge of marriage to Jack Lemmon in drag it is finally revealed to him that Jack Lemmon is a man, he delivers one of the classic lines in all movie history.

Cultural Impact: I'm not sure that this movie has much cultural impact beyond the fact that it ranks #14 on the AFI list of best films of all time, and #1 on AFI's list of best comedies. Screenwriters might watch it as a blueprint. I might be wrong, but I don't think this movie paved the way for cross dressing being accepted. The implied possibility of a homosexual relationship didn't really lead to a flurry of similar films in 1960.

No, the only real cultural impact I can see is the fact that this film is just as funny today as it must have been in 1959. It actually gets funnier for me every time I watch it. I notice things, subtle things, that I didn't notice before each time. For instance, this last viewing I saw that Sweet Sue puts a pill in her mouth, removes it, then puts it back in. It made me laugh at how ridiculous it was, but I also admired it for how it was a very calculated move by the actress. Not done for a huge laugh, but 55 years later it still gets one.

Does This Film Belong On My List: Absolutely. It really is one of the funniest movies of all time. I don't think it belongs at the top of the list of funny films (I reserve that spot for Buster Keaton's The General) but there is no denying it's a funny as hell movie.