Some Like It Hot

1959.

#14 / #22

Winner of 1 Academy Award.

Two musicians are wanted by the mob. They disguise themselves as ladies and join an all-girl band.

Sarah: There is a reason this is the #1 comedy of all time. It's hilarious. Dressing in drag has been funny since at least Shakespeare's day (if the cross-dressers earnestly try to pass for the other gender), and this movie does it the best. Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe are great (This is Marilyn at her best, though they say she was a terror), but Jack Lemmon gets so many laughs he doesn't even need them. He makes this movie a success.

I could go on, but comedy isn't funny when you break it apart. So just see it already.

Eddie: I'm not sure if I'd characterize this movie as the #1 comedy of all-time, but it's pretty close. Jack Lemmon can't miss, and Tony Curtis is unreal, playing three characters in this movie - Joe, Josephine, and millionaire "Junior." Watching Curtis delineate those three characters is like watching a master plate spinner.

As Sarah said, SOME LIKE IT HOT is probably Marilyn's best role, certainly the best one I've seen of her. My "Unsung Hero" Award goes to Billy Wilder, who co-wrote and directed the flick. Billy Wilder is the king of plant-and-payoff. For me, he's one of the three best comedy directors of all time, and this is one of his best.

Why You Should See It: Jack Lemmon falls in love with his female persona, Daphne, and with Osgood (Joe E. Brown), the man who eventually proposes to Daphne. In one scene, Lemmon giddily recounts to Joe the story of his engagement to Osgood. It's priceless.