As Marylin sings in this film "I couldn't aspire, to anything higher..." - a comedy masterpiece!

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2000)

What can you say about this movie that has not been said before?

A genuine classic, the basics run as follows... Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and the ever-fabulous Jack Lemmon...... the boys do drag, Marilyn sings occaisionally, looks edible in practically see-through dresses AND acts well to boot...

Lemmon and Curtis play musicians accidentally caught up in the St Valentine's Day Massacre... they go on the run in the only band which will hire them - an all female band which means their only option is to drag up and bluff their way along - and meet up with marginally alcoholic and slightly unhinged Marilyn.. some chaos ensues as Curtis tries to woo her and Lemmon unwillingly finds a suitor for himself...
The film is surprisingly touching in places but is basically a lovely silly comedy. It regularly appears in lists proclaiming it to be one of the 100 best movies of all time and quite rightly so. Marilyn - despite suffereing a miscarriage during filming - is on superb form, Jack Lemmon looks almost attractive in drag and Tony Curtis actually avoids being too slimy and annoying. The drag scenes are wonderfully underplayed and the classy use of black and white photography throughout helps make both the drag and the period setting look plausible.

Highlights include Tony Curtis's Cary Grant impression (for those of you uneducated in the fabulousness of Cary Grant check out Bringing Up Baby, also on this term), Jack Lemmon being romanced in great style - which leads to just about the best last line of a movie of all time - and Marilyn looking glorious of course.
If you've never seen this movie you really really should; if you already have then I am sure you need no persuasion to see it again!