Le milliardaire

This is one of my favorite Marilyn films. No, let me amend that--this is one of my favorite Marilyn performances. She is sweet, natural, sympathetic, adorable. She has no character to play and no script and no director (Cukor was sliding fast at this point) But she and Montand are lovely together; two great charmers surrounded by an overblown 60's confection of "guest stars" and constant costume changes (although some of Marilyn's outfits are so flimsy one wonders why they bothered to dress her at all?!) "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" is classic MM, but I have a perverse fondness for "Specialization" with Monroe hopping around (she really couldn't dance) in this INCREDIBLE gown, belly and backside bulging, a Reubens come to life. It's a very minor film, especially sandwiched between "Some Like It Hot" and "The Misfits" but there is pleasure to be found if you're into Miss M.

This film begins with a French billionaire named "Jean-Marc Clement" (Yves Montand) being informed that a small theater is hosting a play which makes fun of him. Naturally, being somewhat curious he goes to a rehearsal to see for himself. But as it so happens, while there he is accidently mistaken for an actor wanting to play the part and since he seems so natural for the role he is hired immediately. At first he has no inclination to accept the offer but upon seeing the lead actress named "Amanda Dell" (Marilyn Monroe) he begrudgingly acquiesces in order to get to know her better. And during this process he also gets to know himself better too. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, even though the film centers around the character played by Yves Montand, the main attraction was clearly Marilyn Monroe who performed in an outstanding manner. Unfortunately, not only did none of the other actors perform up to her level but the plot lacked the humor necessary for a comedy of this type as well. That being said, while I enjoyed this film for the most part, I have to rate it as just slightly above average.

Unlike many others who have left comments about this film, I really enjoy it. This is definitely not high on the intellect scale, but it is a sweet romantic comedy. I agree this is not Marilyn's best film, but her performance in the role is better than anyone else could have done it; very cute and believable. Some of the writing really seems to target Marilyn's own personal life (I don't know if they did that on purpose), especially when she talks about going to night school. Also during the song "Incurably Romantic," Marilyn's dress is flying up (a parallel to "The Seven-Year Itch?"). Her performance of the song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is just great. It's really a lot of fun. The cameos are awesome, they really make the film into a "time capsule" of the most popular comedian, dancer, and singer of the time. Tony Randall has a nice supporting role throughout the film; he is great in the scene where he sees Jean-Marc Clement's "softer side." Yves Montand and Marilyn Monroe have the strangest relationship in the movie, and you have to feel bad for Jean-Marc! He is not used to NOT getting the girl! Yves plays this very well, I think. They may lack some chemistry, but the two characters are cute and likable and you really want them to get together. So what I'm saying is, this is well worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of Marilyn or Yves, just don't expect it to be intellectually challenging... it is a great rainy day flick. :-)

Released in 1960 after Marilyn's super turn in the fantastic 'Some Like It Hot', LML has often been cited as Monroe's worst movie.

There is plenty to work against the film: Cukor's almost non-existent direction, the rather dreadful musical numbers, Yves Montand's irritating performance and the wasted opportunities of the star cameos.

However, Let's Make Love is a reasonably inoffensive way to waste an afternoon. The plot is slight and therefore doesn't require too much brain power to follow and Monroe is, as usual, cinema gold. Despite the fact that she is slightly overweight here and nothing much has been done with her in terms of make-up, hair or wardrobe she is eminently watchable. She gives a convincing, assured performance in her role turning the simple character of Amanda into a sweet, likable woman.

As I have mentioned before in Monroe reviews, I always find it interesting to see Monroe in films in the 1960s, being very much an icon of the 1950s.

So, is LML really that bad? Well, to be honest no, it isn't. It's lightweight fluff that doesn't really mean anything but is watchable non the less. It is unfortunately placed between the sublime 'Some Like It Hot' and Monroe's bravura performance in the following year's 'The Misfits' but don't hold that against it. Make up your own minds!

This is by no means a great film, but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. Montand and Monroe both do good jobs. Tony Randall is always enjoyable, and Milton Berle has a great time teaching Montand how to be funny, the best comic moment of the film. Having just seen Montand in The Wages of Fear, one of the most intense movies ever made, it was interesting to see him goofing off and having a good time. This role takes him back to some of the songs he sang early in his career, not long after Edith Piaf discovered him. I only wish he had been able to sing more in the movie. I'm not a big fan of Monroe - her dumb-blonde routine generally irritates me - but she seems more vulnerable in this film, more pleasant to watch. She particularly impressed me in the musical numbers. Unfortunately, the costume designer did a lousy job - everything seems too big on her, or just tacky. Compare these costumes to those of Bardot in Une Parisenne, made around the same time period. There are ways and then there are ways to show off a body like that of Bardot or Monroe. All in all, this is a light piece of fluff, with some humorous moments, some sappy moments, some good musical numbers, some bad writing, some good cameos by Berle, Bing, and Gene Kelly, a silly storyline, Yves Montand, Monroe, and a good dose of fun.