We All Liked it Hot

Review: Some Like it Hot (1959)

By Sara Ciplickas

The most exciting part about revisiting one of my all-time favorite films is watching it with a bunch of first-timers. Almost everyone in our group hadn’t seen this movie before, and most hadn’t seen a Marilyn Monroe movie at all. The concept of “men dressing as women to avoid a crime boss” made everyone scratch their heads, but, as I expected, it was all laughs and smiles all around.

The scene is set as gangsters smuggle alcohol during prohibition to a speak-easy in Chicago. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis’ characters are introduced as musicians who seem to have experience in getting out once things go south and flirting with agency assistants to get the next gig. Curtis (Joe), the leader of the duo, is a flirtatious, handsome lady’s man who doesn’t seem to understand the consequences of leading women on. Lemmon (Gerald) is his funnier counterpart, who always seems to know that his friend is up to no good. Both are great front runners for a comedic game of hide and seek after they witness a mob hit.

To go on the run, the two pose as female musicians who pick up a gig in Florida in an all-girls band. There, they meet Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), a voluptuous singer/ukulele with a “thing for saxophone players” and a drinking problem. Both have to remind themselves that “they are girls” as they interact with her and all the other ladies in the band. Following a hilarious train ride to Florida, the two and the band end up in Florida, where Sugar is on a mission to find a rich husband, and Joe/Josephine is determined to pose as one. Meanwhile, Gerald/Daphne is trying to shake an older millionaire who has the hots for Daphne. Things get muddier when Joe falls in love with Sugar, and the mobster they are running from show up at the same Floridian resort.

From not being able to walk in heels to tripping over their lies, the entire film is nothing but laughs. The film toes a line as it plays with themes of sexuality and femininity in a traditionally conservative historical period. Although the 50s contained many stereotypes and stigmas surrounding cross-dressing, feminism, and sexuality, the film played with the concepts lightheartedly, avoiding overtly offensive remarks. Despite Sugar being on a quest for a husband, Monoro commands the characters and gives her enough agency to put her on the same stage as Lemmon or Curtis.

I was so excited to rewatch such a classic comedy and even more excited that all members found such fun in the jokes. From the jokes about high heels to Spatz and marriage to shell oil, this was a great watch for everyone.