Some Like It Hot: Mother of All Comedies

Remember that line from that Romantic Comedy starring Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz released a few years ago? Oh, Which one you might ask. That isn't surprising at all. But I would be surprised if you remembered any at all.

Not a lot of comedies stand the test of time. And that doesn't come as a surprise given that comedy is subjective and is only as relevant as the time of its release. But every rule has an expectation. Borrowing the clichéd and overused phrase, I am going to go ahead and say that some films are timeless. That is the case with the 1959 comedy Some Like it Hot directed by Billy Wilder starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

This screwball comedy appealed to the 15-year old me with all it's double innuendos, cross-dressing, borderline homosexuality and of course the slapstick comedy. And before I wrote this piece, I decided to watch it again in order to refresh my memory. I was going in assuming that I had grown out of the "sex works anytime" phase. But boy was I in for a surprise! This genre bending movie with it's satirical take on mafia from the 1920’s, its parody of Cary Grant, its bold statements about homosexuality, oral sex, travesties and of course sex in general appealed to the adult in me. And let's not forget, Marilyn Monroe, every man's dream, be it a 15-year-old boy or an American President.

Billy Wilder, who was known for his dark film-noirs (i.e. Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard) which are both masterpieces in their own terms, made sure that a comedy in his hands would not look bad. Be it that black and white look or the slapstick, paying homage and being raunchy at the same time has never been better.

The film is set in 1929 Chicago where two Jazz Musicians (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) accidently witness a mob hit, which is a take on the famous Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. The two Musicians decide to flee the city after the gangsters led by Spats, played by the wonderful George Raft spot them. With nothing to lose, the two musicians join an all-female band for a three week performance in Florida.

I don't believe in using superlatives when it comes to art because in my opinion, all art is great in it's own right when done right and comparing them will not be doing justice. But to hell with that! Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy has the making of a great work of art, it's personal, it serves as a great source of inspiration and it has had its share of controversies too.

From the opening car chase to the famous train sequence and the last shot, Billy Wilder gets everything right. The writing by Billy Wilder and I.A.L.Diamond dismisses every screenplay rule ever made. It starts off as a mafia encounter, and then moves to the story of two men on a run and then to a tale of a timeless romance. It has some of the most quotable lines in cinema as well. With phrases like "Some Like it Hot," "Well, Nobody's perfect," etc. the one-liners and the exchange of dialogues are a joy to watch.

To encapsulate the film's greatness in a line, I am going to use a line from the late great Roger Ebert's review of the film – "Wilder's 1959 comedy is one of the enduring treasures of the movies, a film of inspiration and meticulous craft."

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rI_lUHOCcbc%26nbsp%3B