A genuine classic

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2003)

I'm almost 50 years old, and I've been hearing about this film for the better part of my life, but never got around to seeing it until recently. I figured it had to be overrated--I mean, two guys in drag, once you've done the standard jokes, what else is there?--but it's a wonderful movie, well worth its reputation. The early Chicago scenes are fairly ordinary (and in fact the gangster bits never really catch fire), but once the boys get into their outfits the film never lets up. Tony Curtis got a lot of ridicule early in his career, but he was a very good comic actor, and his Cary Grant fake millionaire is simply hilarious. Marilyn Monroe is luminous as always, and perfectly cast as the archetypal sweet dumb amorous blonde. Jack Lemmon's acting has always been a bit too mannered for my taste, but once he cuts loose in the second half he's great. The real star of the show, though, is the script, which brings the laugh lines tumbling fast and furious, and gets more out of the old premise than you could ever expect. Add Wilder's relentless farce pacing, and you have a true classic. Don't wait most of your life to see it.