Certains l'aiment chaud

What Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis do in "Some Like it Hot" would be par for the course in modern movies – every other month, similar fish-out-of-water movies premiere with men posing as women ("Tootsie"), women posing as men ("The Associate"), black people posing as white people ("White Chicks"), and on and on. What makes "Some Like it Hot" different is two things: the strength of its comedy, and the presence of Marilyn Monroe, then at the height of stardom.

Lemmon and Curtis turn in admirable performances both as Joe and Jerry, and as Josephine and Daphne. Tony Curtis does Lemmon one better by creating a third identity, "Junior", in order to woo Sugar Kane (Monroe).

Tying the pair's story into the Chicago Valentine's Day Massacre, where a gang war spilled over into a parking garage, leaving a number of people lined up against the wall and shot, is a deft touch (though the serious tone of these gang sequences contrasts sharply with the bulk of the movie).

The movie does an excellent job building the far-fetched stakes of the movie ever-higher, from their finding refuge from vengeful gangs in a women's jazz band, to their showdown in the Florida hotel, to the eventual revealing of Curtis' and Lemmon's identities. The movie's surprisingly suggestive and risque content is at odds with the time frame of the movie, and even with the period of the movie's creation. The many smart double-entendres and plays on words are very well-written, and alternate between lowbrow and highbrow comedy,

The films only fault might be a couple of overlong musical numbers, performed either by the whole band or soloed by Sugar Kane. Though to be expected in a Marilyn Monroe film, these musical acts are literal "show stoppers" that bring the comedic momentum of the film to a screeching halt. However, it is easy to over look these minor defects in the movie as a whole, because by and large it is quite funny – no wonder it s considered a classic – and after all, "nobody's perfect".

"Movies should be like amusement parks" filmmaker Billy Wilder once said "People should go to them to have fun". So If Some Like It Hot was an amusement park: it would Thorpe Park, mixed in with Legoland, added with a dash of Disney land. Some Like It Hot is the granddaddy of comedies, the Godfather of laughs and the Mike Tyson of punch lines. Heck! Watching this film is like getting into the ring with Muhammad Ali, as you're constantly hit with fast paced gags. Even when you're least expecting it you're hit with a punch line so funny it leaves your side aching, or a piece of slapstick comedy that leaves your eyes running. Even the fade out line has been regarded as the funniest and most famous in history. Once you hear it, you'll guarantee never ever, ever to forget it. Trust me, it's hilarious!

After playing witness to a routine gangland shooting, two penniless Chicago musicians, Joe and jerry decide it is the perfect opportunity, to remain safe and get paid a easy buck when they decide to take up residence in an all girl band heading to Florida, crossed-dressed as Josephine (Tony Curtis) and Daphne (Jack Lemmon). But with the only simple aim of getting paid and avoiding the mob, things soon get a little more tricky when a ditsy singer named Sugar (Marilyn Monroe) captures the heart of' Josephine' and a eccentric playboy millionaire falls for 'Daphne'.

Some Like It Hot is one of those rare occasions, where everyone involved is at the very peak of their powers. Billy Wilder's directing is subtle but instrumental in loading every scene with comedic material ready to pop out like a wound up jack in the box. The writing is excellent, it constantly moves at a furious pace. Imagine Usain bolt on roller blades with jet pack attached to his back, and still that's not even as fast as how the dialogue rips through every scene. People may say that the comedy is too high concept, but for me that's the very reason it's so damn funny , as well a begin genius, because it means that the jokes will stand the test of time and span all generations because it's so easy to understand. Anyway who likes having jokes explained to them? No one!

But you can't talk about Some Like It Hot, without mentioning Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, who were absolutely perfect for their roles, each adding a feeling of assuredness to theirs, as well as bucket full's of originality with every facial expression as well as every line. Initially I was not convinced by Marilyn Monroe, as I felt she was slightly overrated, but in her role as Sugar, she brings a lot of composure to the role adding balance to the high energy of Tony and Jack, but still getting her laughs not through straight jokes but by simply being able to deliverer every air headed line with great delivery and timing. Whilst still being able to remain sweet, helpless and innocent, even as she plunges picks into a solid cube of ice with great fury, as she talks about her weakness for Saxophone players.

Some Like It Hot it like a magician of comedy, you never know what to expect next, as with every new scene you so excitedly anticipate what piece of comedic magic it will pull out of its sleeve. For me Some Like It Hot is the funniest comedy film I have ever seen, even though it is almost 55 years old, its comedy is still so accessible and funny too!

Some Like it Hot will have a Danish re-premiere on Marilyn Monroes 75th birthday June 1st 2001, and making the text for some advertising material in that connection I saw the movie again and liked it more than ever. Most comedies about men in womens' clothings have a vulgar humour. This is, of course, not the case for films like "Tootsie" and "Some Like it Hot" in which Billy Wilder using black and white instead of colours turns down the importance of the change of sex in many ways so that you can concentrate on the comedy which is extraordinarily well timed with a spiritual dialogue. The acting of Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe, not to mention Joe E Brown, Pat O'Brien and George Raft is out of this world, and of course it is possible to make a mafia war comical. Some scenes almost remind you of a Marx Brothers' movie. Like when a small berth in a train sleeping car in a few seconds is overcrowded with beautiful girls mixing Manhattan-drinks in their hot-water bottle while Jack Lemmon is desperately trying to remind himself that -- just then -- he is a girl, and Marilyn Monroe in seconds (with her back towards the camera!) produces perfect small, square ice-cubes out of a huge ice block. The music is enchanting like the Marilyn Monroe-songs which are all so well known.

Sit back and enjoy this comedy, I don't believe in greatest this and that when it comes to films, but boy, this is superb.

The acting here is fantastic, all actors, even Monroe are on top form.

The direction by Wilder is superb, the guy's style in this picture is perfect. He directed this film in a very clever way, by using one camera for the majority of the scenes, he could easily edit the film together without studio interference.

The script is well written. The dialogue between Lemmon and Curtis is beautifully balanced.

Monroe is just too hot for the screen in this picture. Although, Monroe had major off-screen problems (83 takes to get things right) she is fantastic on-screen. She may not have the best lines, but what the heck! She plays the role very well.

Overall, this is awesome, it really is.

In 1929, in Chicago, the musicians and friends Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) flees from the night-club where they are playing during a police raid. Without any money, they seek a job position for saxophone and bass players in another band and they are invited to play in a concert for one night only in a distant town. Joe borrows the car of a former girlfriend to travel and when they arrive in the parking garage, they witness the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre" led by the infamous mobster Spats Columbo (George Raft). The criminals discover Joe and Jerry hidden in a corner and when the killers are ready to execute them, they succeed to escape. Joe and Jerry disguise, dressing like women and they head to Florida by train with an all-girl band using the names of Josephine and Daphne. They get close to singer Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe) and Joe falls in love with her but she believes he is a woman. Meanwhile the millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) harasses Daphne inviting her to visit his yacht. When Spats and his henchmen arrive in the same hotel where Joe and Jerry are lodged for a mafia convention, the two musicians feel that they are in a dangerous situation.

Yesterday Tony Curtis died and I decided to watch "Some Like it Hot" again. This film is another masterpiece of Billy Wilder and certainly one of the best comedies of the cinema history. Jack Lemmon is hilarious and responsible for some of the funniest moments especially when Osgood flirts with Daphne. Marilyn Monroe performs the perfect dumb blonde stereotype. Last time I had seen this movie was on 18 August 2000. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Quanto Mais Quente Melhor" ("The Hotter, the Better")