Some Like It Hot

A confession: I’ve never found much humor in the cross-dressing trope. Not even when Monty Python did such bits—and they used to do them constantly—did I ever find them to be particularly funny. So this movie seemingly had a strike against it going in, at least from my perspective. And then it turns out...yeah, it’s pretty much what I expected. I’m not saying this film is bad; there’s enough entertainment herein to make it worth a look, and it has peak Marilyn Monroe in a featured role, which is worth way more than just a look. But outside the spectacle of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon dressed as chicks, and some decent bits of gangland joking in the running-from-mobsters subplot, there isn’t nearly enough that’s truly funny in this film. Not to mention that it runs too long and drags towards the end. Overall, and especially regarding its hook, a lot of this flick just left me…wait for it…cold. Oh, well—not every classic is equally classic. 

Winchester '73

A complex narrative and circuitous storytelling collide with a host of genre standards in the Old West. In this case, that's a pretty good thing. I say 'standards' instead of cliches since many of the tropes present are so well done that this film ultimately serves as an exemplar of the style rather than as an exercise in eye-rolling contempt that a lesser effort would elicit. James Stewart plays against type (again--this is at least the second time I've seen him play a mostly ornery cowboy) as a revenge-seeking saddlehand, Shelley Winters looks good, and of all people both Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis (wet behind the ears in both cases) make appearances in small roles, while Stephen McNally and Dan Duryea make for effective and somewhat entertaining psychopaths (another staple of the Western genre). Those elements, plus some timely injections of humor and action, keep things interesting and lively for the duration. Those not as fond of the category might not like this one all that much, but as a (growing) Western aficionado, I found it worth my time. Oh, and it also shows that America's obsession with guns--in this flick, literally one particular, titular gun--is not a recent phenomenon.