“Some Like It Hot” is a 1959 black and white comedy starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and the one and only Marilyn Monroe. The film, set in the Prohibition Era, details the adventure of two musicians attempting to outrun the mob by disguising themselves as female musicians.
It’s going to take more than just time to derail this motion picture. “Some Like It Hot” was a huge success 60 years ago, and has since earned the privilege to claim originality from hundreds of derivative films that have appeared afterward.
Now that Hollywood is binging on overzealous visual effects, one-line romances and other profitable priorities, “Some Like It Hot” is a breath of fresh air from the old days.
Films in the late ‘50s are completely distinguishable just by how loose and fun the acting is. Body language is exaggerated and the dialogue is often clever — the combination of both makes for a jovial atmosphere. The story is set in 1929, so the audience is spoiled with a plethora of old-school, quotable lines that range anywhere from witty to hilarious.
Tony Curtis is, without a doubt, the strongest part of this movie. His acting is unparalleled. Without giving too much away, he essentially plays three different characters, each one as charismatic and memorable as the next. Jack Lemmon stars alongside him and, though as energetic as the rest of the cast, it’s hard to keep up.
This was actually the first Marilyn Monroe film I’ve ever seen, but her renowned depiction in pop culture left me unvexed. Her character is as attractive and innocent as the captioned motivational pictures on the internet make her out to be. But she’s not a bad actress by any means, and was an integral part of the storyline.
The story is the main attraction here. The pacing is pretty great, each scene is relevant and keeps all the characters’ personalities as the focus. The way those personalities interact through the plot is captivating, as everyone ends up meandering through some hilarious situations.
The plot involves Curtis and Lemmon playing musicians who have to escape a growing mafia presence by pretending to be women. They cross-dress and alter their voices, among other small feminine nuances, but ultimately end up falling for Monroe’s character, a singer tactfully named Sugar Kane.
I was left pondering how the film was viewed back in the 50’s with such prominent transgender overtones. But by the way the film presents itself, it almost feels like gender identities weren’t a hot topic back then.
As the narrative would suggest, music is a big part of “Some Like It Hot.” Swing and jazz songs careen from Vaudeville whirlwinds that happen spontaneously, though not often. The music feels better now that so much time has passed since the style was prominent. It drove me into a vintage swing music phase, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most contemporary moviegoers who watch the film fall into the same spree.
Good dialogue is timeless, and that’s all this movie needs to prove after 60 years. It’s minimalistic and definitely not for everyone, and if the plot doesn’t interest you then the characters certainly won’t either.
But “Some Like It Hot” is worth a spin, perhaps as a reminder of the interesting perspectives it has to offer now in this day and age.
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Audrin Baghaie is a culture reporter and movie reviewer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AudrinTheOdd.
