Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, U.S.)

This wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as Some Like It Hot. I guess men hiding as women from gangsters makes a better story than a woman out to land a sugar daddy (not that there wasn't an element of that in the other). Monroe was good, but her character was just so irritating! However, I loved Jane Russell. She's a snappy, shrewish, self-contained, awesome lady!

The best part of the whole thing was Jane Russell singing "Anyone Here for Love?" with the men's Olympic team in the background wearing tight, skin-toned short shorts doing all kinds of acrobatics. It was huh-larious. Probably worth watching just for that!

Rating: 3.5

Some Like It Hot (1959, U.S.)

Watching My Week with Marilyn made me realize that I have hardly seen any of Marilyn Monroe's movies. I've seen Monkey Business (an absolutely wonderful Cary Grant/Ginger Rogers flick by Howard Hawks in which she has a very small role) and I've seen The Misfits (Clark Gable's final film based on a story by Monroe's husband Arthur Miller), but neither of those are her best remembered roles at all.

So what can I say about this? What a strange movie for the '50s! We think of that decade as super up-tight, and yet here we have a gender-bending, cross-dressing comedy about musicians and gangsters. I quite enjoyed it, really. I can see the Monroe appeal. That breathy voice when she says, "It's me, Sugar!" Pulling a flask out of her garter. She's just sexy and innocent and completely enthralling. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are both hilarious, but they are totally eclipsed by her sun. This movie had all the things you could ask for in a comedy. There were so many funny lines and physical situation comedy, particularly having to do with gender identity issues. My biggest complaint is that I didn't like which man she picked. Still, you can't have everything and it was funny funny!

Rating: 4.0