In The Vault: Some Like It Hot

It’s not hard to tell why Marilyn Monroe is loved by the public. Shes attractive, funny and talented. Her death was a tragedy that the movie industry never really recovered from. It is a shame how the industry can put so much preassure on their employees, that they completely spiral down into depression and substance abuse.
In any case, Some Like It Hot, is her opus, one her best films. It’s funny and is considered the greatest comedy movie of all time.

The movie revolves the characters of Jerry and Joe, two murder witnesses running away from the mafia. They decide to leave town. They take the only out of town jobs available. In an all girl band, headed to Florida. They take the job and dress up like women, Jerry becoming Daphne and Joe becoming Josephine. Joe, while in the all girl band becomes very close to a girl named, Sugar and they become very good friends. While in Florida, Joe, using the information he’s learned about Sugar, pretends to be a millionaire. He makes advances on her and she enjoys that. Jerry is picked up on by a millionaire named Osgood and he asks ‘her’ to be his wife. While all of this is happening, the mob come into town for a convention at the same hotel.
Joe and Jerry realize they have to get out of there. A big chase scene ensues, during which Joe tells Sugar, the truth about him and then runs out. As Joe and Jerry escape on Osgoods boat, Sugar comes along too and says that she loves him just as much and not for the millionaire he pretended to be. Also at this, Jerry tells Osgood he is a man, to which Osgood says “Nobody’s Perfect”.
This movie is brilliant for many reasons. Unlike many movies, its idea is completely original and funny. It is the movie that has set up so many others. Lets first look at the mechanics of this movie.
The costumes in this movie are done extremely well. First, this movie is supposed to be set in the mid 1920’s, during the time of the flappers. This idea of independent, rebellious women comes over well, in their hair style and outfits. Not only that, but the disguises that the men are wearing are completely ridiculous and add to the humorous element. What makes it more amusing is the fact that Jerry seems to enjoy being dressed up as a girl even more. The costumes for Junior, the millionaire who Sugar loves, are very well done.

Acting is something else that is phenominally well done. I find that Jack Lemmon is great actor, a funny man and in this movie, he continues that notion. The way he pretends he is a women is very enjoyable, especially the part where he is dancing with Osgood. Not to be lost is Tony Curtis’ acting, especially during the parts where he is ‘Junior’, a possible Rockefeller gag. The way he does the unimpressed, snob like gestures, are very authentic for the time. Monroes acting is also well done, the way she acts captures the heart of the audience as she is personable and a figurehead for many women.
The lighting and setting of this movie, make it seem very authentic. The lighting is done so that it highlights everything on the screen, which is important, as it must be done corectly. The setting being in Florida, you get a relaxed feeling, that helps us enjoy the comedy even more. One of the true gems of this film is the section where it shows parallel action, possibly one of the first films to do this.
This movie captures our hearts from the get-go. Usually, a comedy movie is something to relax to and just enjoy and it is shown in this movie, but this film is different. It makes us want Joe to get Sugar in the end, we want everything to work out fine. It is one of the few comedy movies that I can say are a true work of genius.
We must look at this movie in context, during this time, there was a high degree of wanting to have a ‘perfect’ life. The cold war was about to reach its peak and people were very stressed. This type of movie was great for people at the end of the day just wanting to put up their feet and laugh. It was also risky in some parts. The prolonged make-out scene between Sugar and Junior, made this movie rejected by many societies, and Daphne’s character was very risky for the day. However, sometimes you have to take risks in order to succeed and this is what the movie did.
This movie looks at a variety of themes. It looks at womanism and gender roles quite indepthly. One wonders if Osgood knew if Daphne was a guy the entire time. We also must wonder if you start acting like the opposite sex, do you gain the same desires. None of these themes were lost in the film and this makes the movie very enjoyable to watch. It is funny, controversial and witty. It is critically acclaimed and has been called the best comedy movie of all time. This movie lives up to this title. It deserves it’s 5 out of 5 stars.