Passed. Yeah, I almost don't know how to label this one. Tonally, it's adorable. It seems super innocent because it's a madcap comedy by Billy Wilder. But any level of scrutiny would bring up some really questionable stuff. I mean, there's the surface level question of women in drag being a laugh-with v. laugh at element. But probably the bigger one is the sexual coersion that accompanies Tony Curtis's character. There's also the oddly prescient story of Marilyn's alcoholism to cover up pain that is running through the story. You know, sometimes you can know too much about a movie.
DIRECTOR: Billy Wilder Okay, this is either an incredibly progressive film or it might be one of the more regressive films of the 20th Century. I want to pigeonhole it as one or the other really bad, if for no other reason than White Knighting / giving me something to really focus this blog. But I think the story might be more complex than anything that I can ascribe in just a few words. My kneejerk reaction that this is a movie in 1959 made by Billy Wilder, a director that I suspect just wants to have a good time. I mean, I love Billy Wilder. Honestly, he is guaranteed in my top five directors of all time. On top of that, I really like Some Like It Hot. I'm clearly not the only one. I mean, it's Some Like It Hot. But I also love Annie Hall, so I'm just burying myself faster by the word. But again, Billy Wilder. 1959. It's not exactly a time in history where this is a great discussion about nuanced gender norms. Basically, it wasn't within the last ten years where this thing started to be treated seriously. I think of Billy Wilder with Ace in the Hole and I think he's got at least to be somewhat progressive, right? Regardless, I can't help but see this as laughing at men in dresses. I mean, there's straight up a line that says, "You're a guy! Why would a guy want to marry a guy?" It feels so off the radar that it feels a little bit gross. Honestly, the middle of the movie as a whole feels like grosser than the whole of the piece. It's not like Wilder was alone in this philosophy. I mean, Kids in the Hall made their entire bread and butter off of men in dresses. But for some reason, Scott Thompson's seal of approval made it somehow okay. Also, the new show, for some reason, made us get over the whole novelty of men in dresses. But then, there's the thing that I kept seeing in the movie that somehow gave me hope for making this movie justifiably timeless. As much Some Like It Hot is considered farce, it's not NOT saying things either. We're meant to laugh at men in dresses, but the key theme of the movie is how the other half lives. It's purpose is to entertain, but it isn't going to skimp on the messaging of how men treat women. The first thing that the boys realize when they have dresses on is that men are absolutely awful. Within minutes of coming into contact with the male upper crusts, they're sexually harassed beyond comprehension. There's a line that says that Daphne isn't even pretty, but it doesn't matter. It's an expectation that women are sexually harassed. The bellhop comes across as a monster. Sure, Billy Wilder never ignores that this is a comedy and we know that the men are fine because they can always just become dudes again. But the key joke in the film is that being a woman sounds like an absolute nightmare. Everything about being a woman is almost tragic. The only time that the women are happy are in the company of other women. Now, again, 1959 and it's not a movie that has the intention of raising awareness of feminism, but the women in the movie almost seem brainwashed into embracing the status quo. (I know, I have unreasonable expectations and no living experience as a woman to make a statement conclusively about societal roles.) But the women seem so much happier when there isn't anyone else around. Wilder, potentially subconsciously, made a story of two worlds. When the girls around men, they act one way. They aren't necessarily subserviant, but there is something about letting one's hair down. I kind of love the scene on the train when everyone decides to have a party in Daphne's bunk. Can we talk about Gerald / Daphne? Maybe it's because I just like Jack Lemmon more than I like Tony Curtis. Joe / Josephine is always kind of gross. Sure, he's got a great Cary Grant impression and that goes a long way with the Shell Oil bit. But Gerald goes through stuff. I mean, it's for the sake of a joke. Gerald explores his feminine side, but there's something kind of interesting. Gerald is all over the place personality wise at the beginning of the film. He's the prudent one from the beginning. I mean, I can't help but see The Odd Couple when I watch this movie, so I can't help but make the Oscar / Felix comparison. But Gerald is the one yelling at Joe for being a gambling addict. Similarly, Joe is the one who uses women and moves on. Honestly, Gerald seems like the morally strong one from the beginning. But all of the sudden, he puts on a dress and his entire character shifts to active horndog. But the weirdest thing happens. In a very specific way that I have a hard time defining, Gerald changes because of his relationship to Osgood. It took a lot for the movie to get there. There's a moment that Jo needs to get on the boat, so he demands that Gerald take Osgood out on a date. Now, Joe gets really dark in this moment because the story needs Osgood out of the way. Okay, but it is his relationship with Osgood (who I still think is gross), that opens Gerald's eyes to what a quasi-healthy relationship looks like. Gerald never felt more taken care of or respected than when he was with Osgood. Yeah, it's the same guy who pinched his butt in the elevator. But the fact that Daphne was willing to get married to Osgood is oddly touching. Okay, okay. I know he's doing it for the money. But, honestly, Gerald seems earnestly happy for the only time in the movie when he gets the proposal. Sure, it's all for a joke. I can't deny that it's all for a joke. But there's a door being opened in that moment. There's all this backpedaling that happens immediately afterwards, but the ending! The last line of the movie is a joke. I keep having to state, "The entire thing is a joke." But the happiest moment of the movie is the last movie that Osgood says. "Nobody's perfect." Look at the smile on that guy's face. I mean, he's just happy to have connection. I'm going off the deep end, guys. I know. I'm making all of this through a queer theory lens, but it's right there. The Criterion essay inside the box says that I'm doing too much. I agree. I am doing too much. But it is also the thing that I want to write about, so I'm giving the big raspberry to the essay because I find it interesting. I mean, if the movie is going to be talking about it the entire time, I feel like I should be talking about it as well. After all, not only does the movie touch on feminism and drag, but it also touches on homosexuality and asexuality. Tony Curtis's entire gross manipulation of Marilyn is the notion that's either gay or asexual. I lean asexual because he tells the story of the time that he had a crush on a girl who died (which, as I write this, comes off as extremely gross). But there's something to discuss, even if there isn't a conclusive answer. As clear as I can make it: I love Some Like It Hot. It's peak Wilder. But I also am torn about how much it holds up. It's so much "laughing at", but with lots of moments of introspection. I mean, there's a whole history of cinema that involves laughing at men in dresses. They all tend to lean into a beat of empathy after throwing punches for a good chunk of the film. I am not angry at Wilder at all. Heck, it doesn't even tarnish anything because I don't believe that the movie was made with hate. But also, you know. You know. |
Film is great. It can challenge us. It can entertain us. It can puzzle us. It can awaken us.
AuthorMr. H has watched an upsetting amount of movies. They bring him a level of joy that few things have achieved. Archives
October 2024
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