by Anna Maria Ryan

Created on: December 16, 2009

My favourite film of all time is Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and directed by Billy Wilder. The film is a genuine classic, not some art house movie that everyone raves about for a month, never having really watched it or understood it, but pretending to. The film is about two musicians who witness a murder, and to escape from the mobsters, dress up as women, and join a female band, where they meet Sugar Kane, a lovelorn singer.

Some Like It Hot has a fantastic mixture of stars, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis giving great performances, both as their male and female characters. And of course the beauty that was Marilyn Monroe, the headliner and the biggest star of the movie. Although she really didn't want to do Some Like It Hot, having become sick of the ditzy, blonde roles 20th Century Fox insisted on giving her, she gives one of her best performences here. She is funny and luminous and displays perfect comic timing. She plays the role of Sugar Kane with sexiness and innocence, and a little wickedness, which can be seen when she and Tony Curtis are in a yacht, and she has to rekindle his interest in women.

Jack Lemmon, is pure gold as Gerry and especially as Daphne. He seems to really enjoy himself in this role, bringing great energy and fun to the role. Tony Curtis is also excellent in his roles of Joe and Josephine. A very handsome man, he makes a respectable woman, and plays it with gusto.

The film is set at a whirlwind pace, its 120 minutes passes you by very quickly. The short running time would usually not allow for such good character development, but you really get a feel for the three central characters and they endear themselves to you from the start of the movie.

There is not one dud moment in Some Like It Hot, everything gels well, nothing feels out of place. All the supporting cast such as the band; The Sweet Sues, the mobsters, and the policeman who is on their trail, play their parts with as much energy and zest as the three main stars.

I would recommend this movie to anyone, young and old. I first saw it aged eight, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a family comedy, no language, no one gets physically hurt, and there is no trace of toilet humour. It is a movie that you can watch over and over again, and not get sick of it. 

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