Some Like It Hot

Chicago 1929. Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are struggling musicians in the pre-Depression era, a world of Prohibition, speakeasies and gangsters. When they witness the Valentine's Day Massacre the only way they can avoid being rubbed out is to flee, in the only job they can find; disguised as Josephine and Daphne, the two new members of 'Sweet Sue's' all-girl jazz band southbound on a train to Florida. They are coping well until they meet singer Sugar Kane (Monroe), a ditzy voluptuous sex-bomb with a penchant for saxophone players. Both imposters fall for her, but knowing Sugar is looking to hook up with a young millionaire, Joe takes on a new disguise as Junior, heir to the Shell Oil fortune. Meanwhile, an ancient playboy millionaire falls for Daphne and when a mob boss turns up to silence the witnesses of the shoot-out he refuses to fall for their hoax.

From legend Billy Wilder comes quite simply one of the greatest comedies of all time. It is also one of the sexiest films of all time, with not-so-subtle innuendos, cross-dressing, bisexuality, lesbianism, male homosexuality, oral sex and impotence. Yet through all this, it manages to retain its innocence, especially with the naivety of Sugar. Filmed in black and white it playfully reminisces on early gangster films, while also helping to make cross-dressing look more credible.

The script is sharp, witty and full of great one-liners, and the cast brilliant. Lemmon and Curtis have great rapport with each other and spot-on comic timing making them perfectly awkward fish out of water. Monroe however, cannot help but steal the show. Despite the trouble she caused on sets, infamous for her bad memory and epic tardiness, she seems to breeze through every scene flawlessly. Full of laugh out loud moments and sly gender commentaries, this is a film that absolutely has to be seen, and the best line of all is the last one.

Hannah Upton