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Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2005)

After just viewing 'Some Like It Hot' for the very first time, I must say that I can barely write a cohesive review of it. It is the finest and best-acted comedy I have seen, ever.
Even though it clocks in at just over two hours, SLIH is entertaining from beginning to hysterical end - barely slowing the pace to give a viewer time to get restless. The trio of lead actors, the snappy, innuendo-laden dialogue, the romance, the comedy, the snazzy music, the believable plot: all of these elements meld perfectly into a vivacious, vibrant movie.
While Tony Curtis doesn't disappoint with delivery here, it is Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe who compete for the starring role - one well-deserved by both, to say the least. Lemmon's frustrated, desperate, easily-persuaded character pairs flawlessly with Curtis' scheming, womanizing 'Josephine', and the two, decked out in drag while fending off fresh bellboys and dirty old men, are endlessly facing new and hilarious obstacles at every twist in the plot. Lemmon simply shines here, whether he's struggling to keep his masculinity disguised among unsuspecting attractive women or running through the Seminole-Ritz in too-short bellboy trousers and black pumps.
I was truly surprised by Marilyn's performance here, too. While her overly-breathy sex kitten persona repels me from most of her films, she was extremely convincing as the sweet, innocent singer in the all-girl band who keeps a flask in her garter and befriends the dynamic duo in drag.
'Some Like It Hot' oozes with sexuality without being crass; it achieves almost-constant comedy without degrading itself with lowbrow humor or extreme slapstick; it paces its musical numbers, its storyline gives needed character depth and definition to its protagonists, it balances lighthearted, good-intentioned levity with conscience and grace. Don't let the black-and-white turn you off. 'Some Like It Hot' is a great movie all the way through - this is the kind of film that defines 'rewatchability'. You won't be disappointed.
Oh, and aside from Milton Berle, the usually endearing, adorable Jack Lemmon is probably the most hideous woman ever to grace the silver screen.