--- title: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics find Gentlemen Prefer Blondes a lively, sharply comic musical, with praise concentrated on Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s double act. The reviews repeatedly single out Monroe’s ironic delivery and screen presence, alongside Russell’s acerbic humour. The musical numbers, choreography, colour and costumes also draw approval, with “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” receiving particular attention. The leads’ contrasting performances give the comedy much of its appeal. The spread runs from enthusiastic to qualified approval, with no outright negative verdicts among the reviews supplied. Reservations concern the story and how much substance sits beneath the entertainment: Empire finds that the plot meanders in Paris, while Variety describes an entertaining but lightweight musical. Time Out offers a more guarded assessment, finding the film flawed but just about successful as naughty Technicolor comedy. The disagreement is chiefly over how much those limitations matter. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2010. Bradshaw calls the film a sparkling, tremendous musical comedy and a joy. He especially praises Monroe and Russell’s fantastic double act and the contrast between their performances. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/25/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-film-review) ## Slant Magazine — Christian Blauvelt Rating 3.5/4. 1 August 2010. The review sees the film as a celebration of consumerism that also subverts conventional romantic and sexual mores. It praises Hawks’s portrayal of Lorelei and Dorothy as sexually powerful women who control the screen and the gaze. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson finds the film one of the 1950s’ most charming and entertaining musicals. He praises Hawks’s shaping of Monroe’s screen persona and her scene-stealing performance, while noting that the plot meanders in Paris. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-review/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a scintillating, sharply comic musical. It particularly praises Monroe’s ironic performance and Jack Cole’s incisive choreography. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2) ## Radio Times — Tony Sloman Rating 4/5. Sloman describes the musical as scintillating and says Monroe shines. He singles out the production numbers, especially “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” for praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bjqp98/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule gives the musical an enthusiastic verdict. It singles out the lead performances and praises the sumptuous, ironic numbers and ravishing colour and costumes. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/647265c9-4ca8-59c6-a638-276388e29b83/gentlemen-prefer-blondes) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The capsule gives the film a positive verdict, calling it beautifully directed. It singles out Marilyn Monroe’s star-making performance and Jane Russell’s share of the acerbic lines. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-is-beautifully-directed-7418785.html) ## Film Comment — Michael Koresky Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Koresky argues that the women’s bond ultimately outshines the film’s glamour and riches. The standfirst singles out the connection between Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s characters. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/queer-now-1953/) ## Variety — William Brogdon Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 1953. Brogdon finds the film a flashy, entertaining, lightweight musical whose pace and escapism should make it a box-office success. He singles out Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe as its chief assets, praising their comedy, songs, and screen presence. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1953/film/reviews/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-2-1200417560/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 1953. The page identifies a review, but its verdict cannot be determined from the inaccessible content. No praise or complaint is available to report. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/16/archives/the-screen-in-review-gentlemen-prefer-blondes-at-roxy-with-marilyn.html) ## Time Out — David Jenkins Rating 3/5. 24 February 2010. The critic finds the film flawed but just about successful as naughty Technicolor comedy. The review singles out its comic treatment of the economic advantages of an ample bosom. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-1) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/gentlemen-prefer-blondes.md