MovieChat Forums > Some Like It Hot (1959) Discussion > Incredibly overrated

Incredibly overrated

posted 16 years ago by SimonForte
87 replies | jump to latest

A lot of respectable lists and institutions have this as one of the greatest comedies of all time. Please.

I didn't laugh out loud once at this movie. Sure it may make you crack a smile here and there, but lets remember one thing...

A lot of respectable lists and institutions have this as one of the greatest comedies of all time.

It just isn't that funny. Maybe it is because it hasn't withstood the test of time, or maybe standards were lower back then. Who knows. But if that is the case, then its time to take it off those lists. Are we just keeping that title because it was funny at the time? There have been so many movies, on all different comedic levels that have surpassed this. It was just so disappointing to watch because of the hype(wierd for a movie out about 50 years ago).

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Lazyawol86 16 years ago

i wouldnt say that this film is overly funny but it is extremly entertaining! and i think thats why its so high on so many lists

you must learn to lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums

[–] tomloft2000 16 years ago

first,i wouldn't say it's INCREDIBLY overrated,which i guess is impossible.also,standards tend to change over time,so your way of viewing it today may be different than it might be if you had seen it 50 years ago.a comedy doesn't necessarily have to get you rolling in the aisles,and this movie i guess doesn't(me neither).but i still like it a lot.

[–] lastmidnite2 16 years ago

OK people, let's get a grip. The original poster said he thinks nobody in this is as funny as somebody in Caddyshack, and that early Bill Murray movies are funnier than this. Obviously, this person's taste is WAY below par, and not even worth debating with. Ignore him, and take pity.

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[–] czechhero 16 years ago

Well everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect your right to state yours, but I have to say that I disagree with you entirely.

In my opinion, this was a great movie, one that has made me laugh every time I have watched it,and I can totally understand why it ranks so highly on so many lists.There was no swearing, some violence (which was relevant to the story and not totally gratuitous), some great acting (Jack Lemmon especially),and some wonderful lines, which I think have truly stood the test of time.

Here is one guy who will always love that film !

[–] MissSugarKane 16 years ago

^^I totally agree with all of that. And here is one girl that will always love this film!

Jack Lemmon: America's Sweetheart
"It's Magic Time"

[–] punyaketu 16 years ago

Sorry, but in my eyes it says more about your (missing) sense of humor than anything of substance about the film.

[–] timlin-4 16 years ago

While you can forgive the cornball comedy as old fashioned, the script was always pathetic. Take all the trashy slapstick out of this and you could make a respectable soft-core porn movie.

[–] Pythe 15 years ago

I think the problem I have with Some Like It Hot is that the "men in drag" joke has been done so often now (every sitcom I watched growing up had "that" episode) that this film has lost much of its comedic impact to the modern viewer. It's incredibly well-written, but even the greatest men-in-drag movie is still just a men-in-drag movie. For my money, The Seven Year Itch, One Two Three, and The Major and the Minor are all far superior Billy Wilder comedies.

[–] stomaino 15 years ago

I'll also add Sabrina, which is my third favorite Wilder movie, after Double Indemity & Sunset Blvd. (definitely NOT comedies).

Back then, just seeing Curtis & Lemmon in drag caused laughs. Today, you need to do a little more to explore the problems. Tootsie does a great job of taking the premise and really exploring the ramifications of being in drag.

I also think a flaw in the movie is the whole "Cary Grant" bit. Having to spend time in it shows that the premise of men in drag could not sustain the whole movie.

I find Some Like it Hot mildly amusing but that's it. It's a very well-made movie, but that doesn't make it funnier.

What one finds funny is VERY subjective. Part of the reason is that comedy relies on timing and sometimes you can get hit at just the right moment and fall down laughing.

I've found some of the crudest movies funnier than more sophisticated ones, especially when you have to use the criteria of actually eliciting an audible laugh.

With comedy movies, there's almost two ways of judging them. One would be the quality of the movie and another would be how funny it was. The two are not necessarily synonomous.

So, no, Some Like It Hot would not make my top ten of "funniest" movies, but each to his own taste!

Sam Tomaino

[–] UCHoodman 15 years ago

I thought seeing them in drag was hilarious. Not Jack Lemmon, but more Tony Curtis c'mon I just saw this guy in Sweet Smell and Spartacus.

For me it's like this, I'd put in on my top 10 comedies, but not anywhere near my top 10 films.

[–] scotbpens 15 years ago

Back then, just seeing Curtis & Lemmon in drag caused laughs.

IT STILL DOES!

That scene at the train station where we first see the two of them in drag, tottering awkwardly in their high heels and looking as if they feel the whole world must be staring at them, is still a classic moment.

And anyone who doesn't think so just has NO SENSE OF HUMOR!

All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?

[–] GentianViolet 13 years ago

I agree. I've always wondered why Monty Python pieces found so much of the humor from that men-in-drag business. It's just not that funny anymore.

I fell asleep trying to watch the DVD of this movie. I watched it again to see if I could get any enjoyment out of it, but all that slapstick was just...boring. To me.

[–] dirty_dutchman 15 years ago

Is it a bad movie? No way.

Is it overrated? Possibly.

A lot of the "greatest movies of all time" (The Godfather especially, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, etc) are overrated. When it comes to personal preference, not everyone will agree. I like old comedies, but I guess I have more of a taste for slapstick, ala the Marx Brothers or Charlie Chaplin.

On its own, this movie is pretty funny. And I can see how it both parodies old movies and...Cary Grant...and has inspired a lot of buddy comedies we see today. So it's certainly an influential film. Billy Wilder has a lot of those, it seems.

But I wouldn't put it in the top 10...100....250...but that's my opinion. Take it or leave it.

Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.

[–] sashavice 15 years ago

I'm not the biggest fan of old movies, Casablanca bored me. I thought this movie was incredibly funny though, I could not stop laughing. I loved it.

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[–] TheLittleSongbird 15 years ago

Am I allowed to say that I loved this movie. I thought it was hilarious, with brilliant performances and great writing.

"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeleine Kahn(CLUE, 1985)

[–] heyuactor 15 years ago

Agree on all points, Songbird.

"Did you make coffee...? Make it!"--Cheyenne.