What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #131

For whatever reason I couldn’t remember if I had only seen clips from Some Like It Hot or if I’d actually seen the whole movie. Turns out within about 30 seconds of watching it again I had seen it before, which meant I had the pleasure of enjoying it all over again as it’s the first film I recorded during TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar. I guess it’s only fitting seeing how Michelle Williams did such a great job of portraying Marilyn Monroe in her Oscar-nominated performance in My Week with Marilyn and watching this film again I am reminded just how spot-on that performance was, even if I didn’t like the film that much.

It was also interesting to watch this film and think of how many films nowadays are chastised for looking for comedy in the idea of two men dressing up as women and yet this film remains a classic. What is it that makes that so?

If I had to attempt to place my finger on it I would say it has everything to do with subtlety and wit as opposed to potty humor and vulgarity. Admittedly, Some Like It Hot may not have the large laughs earned by sight gags in today’s “comedies” but the difference here is how much fun you are having the entire time and how happy you are just watching the story play out and it culminates in a fantastic ending as yet one more example of a kind of storytelling that, for the large part, has shamefully been abandoned.

Now… I’ll leave you with Marilyn…