The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Collection: Some Like It Hot (1954)

Where does Billy Wilder sit in the pantheon of great filmmakers throughout the history of cinema? This man should be right at the top of the conversation for the greatest director of all time. The versatility. The balance of humor and drama. The sharpness of dialogue. The great performances he got out of the actors. The energy in his filmmaking. There are so many impeccable elements of his filmmaking. The filmography features some of the greatest films of all time. Few filmmakers can boast how many great films he created. Escaping to America during the rise of Nazi power, Wilder found his footing in Hollywood and rose to the top. Many of his films are important to cinematic history and one such film is the romantic comedy, Some Like It Hot.

What makes this film such an iconic and significant film today? This is a film that explores elements that few mainstream films explore then You have two men crossdressing as women to key their identities safely. This easily could have leaned into every trope and misguided jokes possible. But Wilder was an impressive writer and filmmaker who understood how to dig deep into the humanity of his stories and characters. Over the course of the film, we witness Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne getting a better understanding of being a woman as they walk in those shoes. There are moments of appreciation for womanhood and even moments where they experience joy from having womanly experiences. The dynamic between Daphne and Osgood Fielding III is quite a progressive and compelling element to this film. Osgood loves Daphne for who she is and not what she is. This all culminates in one of the greatest endings of all time as Jerry reveals himself and Osgood joyfully retorts that “nobody’s perfect”. This love, no matter what gender Jerry/Daphne, is a genuine and authentic one which must have felt so foreign to audiences in 1959. Sure, this film is not a perfect representation of gender and sexual orientation, but it is infinitely more progressive than you would ever expect from this period.

What else was Some Like It Hot able to accomplish that makes it such a timeless classic? Genre-bending is a challenging thing to accomplish in cinema today let alone over sixty years ago. There is certainly comedy sprinkled throughout the entire film but there is a distinct shift and weight that is layered into the experience as well. How many comedies can you think of that include historically significant massacres? The roots that Wilder had with crime and noir films allows him to thread a mafia storyline in this comedy. Not only that, but this storyline is also the essential call to action for the whole concept. There is a reason these two men dress as women and hide amongst this all-women’s band…they are on the run from the mob. Witnessing the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre puts Joe and Jerry into an awkward spot which motivates them to make a rash decision. Wilder delivers such a hilarious film but that is without skimping on the danger of this looming mob storyline. You see bloody, bullet-ridden bodies at one point. But Wilder, with his confident direction, never falters in balancing these harsh tones. There is a real sense of danger which makes Some Like It Hot so effective.

But one figure elevates this film to something in the pop culture stratosphere, right? Marilyn Monroe. We are long past the point where stars truly sold movies but back in the 1950s, there were plenty of stars who moved the needle. There are few performers of the time who moved the needle quite like Monroe. Her natural charisma was electric and made her quite alluring on the big screen. That persona of hers made her a crowd-pleasing and lovable figure who stood out so much. There is a playful and engaging nature to Monroe’s acting performances where there are some good natural elements to them. There are still Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis who are great movie stars and actors themselves, but they didn’t have the pop culture reach of Monroe. There weren’t a ton of films with Monroe in them but Some Like It Hot is one of the key films that helped Monroe’s popularity soar to greater heights. Whenever she is on screen in the film, you know that she is going to pull attention and leave quite an impact.

How does Some Like It Hot fit into the grand scheme of cinema and Wilder’s words? This is a film that embodies the expectations and elements of comedy and romance at the time with a sharp and engaging screenplay from Wilder. This is a film that explores subversions in the cinematic genre while creating some iconic moments that have stood out over time. One of the ultimate romantic comedies in film history, Some Like It Hot is a classic worth experiencing.