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If you like young men with the social skills of a five year old, and young women with low self esteem, watch this film. The only relief is when the bus driver beats the cowboy up to stop him from pestering the poor young woman any further.

There are some comic moments in the film, but it's too frustrating watching Monroe's character treated like an animal. This is not the mood of the 1990s.

If you want to enjoy Marilyn Monroe, watch "Some Like It Hot". At least her character in that film has self-respect, even if she's no more than a likeable bimbo.

"Bus Stop" is named for the setting of the last half-hour of this film, the bus stop in the snow, somewhere in Wyoming, where Beau finally gets his 'comeuppance', right before he and Cherie reconcile. If this movie had not been made in 1956, but instead in modern times, it would have received a very laughable reception. As it is, I consider it a cult classic in the genre of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", so horrible and fake are the characters and the dialog.

However, Marilyn Monroe, in her 26th film, playing a simple showgirl from Arkansas, does very well with her role. Don Murray as "Beau", in his very first film, is so obnoxious that by the time he apologises for his bad behavior, we no longer care about him, and "Cherie's" accepting him just doesn't make sense. Hope Lange has a small part as "Elma" on the bus, in this her first film. She and Murray married afterward in real life, but it didn't last. Murray made a number of other films, including the father in "Quarterback Princess" in 1983 with Helen Hunt.

The reason to see this film is Marilyn Monroe in her prime, almost 30, and only 6 years from her death. The story, of the possessive cowboy who decides to marry Cherie and haul her away to his ranch in Montana, is pretty simple and pretty implausible. The scene in the bus stop, where he finally kisses her "for serious", was also featured in an episode of Northern Exposure, with Chris playing Beau and Maggie playing Cherie, for a community theater production they were rehearsing for.

To the naysayers I say "you missed it" but I guess people either like MM or they do not. I was braced for the 50s-style corn, but not for the underlying sadness of Cherie, as rendered by Monroe, and in the end feel she did an incredibly good job with the role--not a false note anywhere.

An extra star (or two) for that very special performance.

The movie itself is mildly OK. However, this movie shows why MM has been so unforgettable to the American public almost 40 years after her death.

Check out two scenes. First, the justifiably famous rendition of "That Old Black Magic" number. Whether acting or if it's the real Marilyn Monroe, she conveys loneliness in front of a packed saloon; the feeling of recognition and appreciation when the Don Murray (Bo)character berates the patrons to show respect to her while she sings; and the out-and-out sexiness of her when she is lit up in red flames. Wow!!

The second scene is near the end when, standing out in the cold, Bo offers her his coat. The look on her face when she realizes that someone, maybe for the first time, is there to look after her and take care of her is absolutely moving. Again we can see the real Marilyn in the character. She so desperately looked for love and acceptance all through her life.

This is not a great movie. It is a great showcase for one of the most

remarkable personalities in movie history.

I have to confess that for me Marilyn Monroe, like James Dean, is a screen icon whose charms have yet to live up to their reputation; perhaps unfortunate, since I gather from the other comments that 'Bus Stop' is chiefly of interest as a Monroe vehicle! I approached this film from a different angle, attracted by the apparent similarity in source material to the 1943 'The Lady Takes a Chance', a bus/rodeo-set romantic comedy starring John Wayne, of all people, which to my surprise I had very much enjoyed.

In this case, I was disappointed.

The first ten minutes of the film is pretty fair comedy material; the last thirty finally introduces some much-needed emotional subtlety and character development. The intervening hour constitutes a one-joke wonder - boorish cowboy ropes and carries off woman - that rapidly shades from monotonous to actively annoying.

Frankly, this is the type of film calculated to elicit comments of "I'm not a feminist, but -" By the time it got to the showdown in the cafe, I was almost convinced from the preceding plot-line that young Beau would whip his aging opponent with the brutal strength of youth, then ride off with a suddenly hero-worshipping bride. The fact that events (much to my surprise and relief) *don't* turn out that way is not sufficient to justify the tedium of what has gone before. As others have remarked, it is only from this moment that the characters gain any emotional depth - with the possible exception of Monroe's brittle, damaged Cherie. I'll grant, though, that the final denouement does however manage to be both touching and convincing, which is an achievement under the circumstances.

Personally, I'd say that the entire centre section of 'Bus Stop' is a waste of time. I suspect that a perfectly good film (and one more appropriate to the title!) could have been constructed by omitting all the scenes save those taking place in the bus or 'bus stop' itself, and substituting a brief account of intervening events via dialogue.

The most charitable view I can take of this film is that too long is spent in setting-up for its few worthwhile scenes. The sexual politics shown have nothing to do with the film's era - again, see 'The Lady Takes a Chance' for a superior contemporary take on the clash-of-the-sexes theme - and far more to do with unfunny slapstick humour. And sadly, I can't really say I found Marilyn Monroe as seductive as the screenplay clearly assumes.

An interesting piece for Monroe fans, but lacklustre entertainment.