---
title: "Some Like It Hot"
year: 1959
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/some-like-it-hot"
fi1m_id: "some-like-it-hot"
imdb_id: "tt0053291"
tmdb_id: 239
wikidata_id: "Q190086"
fi1m_score: 92
critics_score: 89
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-09-12"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:12.631623+00:00"
region: "US"
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."
---

# Some Like It Hot (1959)

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 03m · Comedy, Romance, Crime

## Identity

Some Like It Hot

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/some-like-it-hot
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** some-like-it-hot
- **IMDb ID:** tt0053291
- **TMDB ID:** 239
- **Wikidata ID:** Q190086
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/239, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190086

**Fi1m score: 92** · Critics 89 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* Jack Lemmon approaches wearing a dress with the concentration other actors reserve for playing kings

> We would recommend Billy Wilder’s farce to almost anyone: the jokes are exact and the three leads make them seem spontaneous. The gangster business occasionally interrupts the pleasure of watching Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.

## Synopsis

Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are on the run from the Mob. To escape, they disguise themselves as women, taking the names Josephine and Daphne. Marilyn Monroe plays Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, whose presence complicates the business of keeping their identities hidden. As the pair try to remain unrecognised, attraction gives them reasons to risk being found out. Billy Wilder’s comedy brings crime, romance and mistaken identity together, with George Raft as Spats Colombo, Pat O’Brien as Detective Mulligan and Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III.

## Review

*Some Like It Hot* is a farce we would recommend to almost anyone, including those who suspect they have heard all its jokes already. Billy Wilder builds it around two men escaping the Mob in women’s clothes and allows desire to complicate a practical arrangement. His screenplay with Diamond understands how quickly a person can turn a temporary deception into a habit. It also trusts us to follow the deception without stopping to explain each new difficulty.

Tony Curtis’s Joe approaches Josephine as a problem to be solved, and Curtis makes his calculation quick enough to be funny. Jack Lemmon’s Jerry has far more trouble containing himself as Daphne; every adjustment seems to require his whole body. We laughed at the effort Lemmon puts into being Daphne, particularly when delight starts to get ahead of caution. His shifts from alarm to pleasure are so quick that the disguise never settles into a single joke. Curtis’s relative composure makes Lemmon’s agitation funnier.

Marilyn Monroe’s Sugar Kane Kowalczyk gives this commotion somebody worth paying attention to. Monroe makes Sugar’s appeal obvious, then allows disappointment to trouble her delivery without slowing the comedy. She can make a line sound hopeful and doubtful within the same breath, which prevents the character from becoming merely a prize for clever lying. The film’s attention to her beauty can be insistent, but her comic timing keeps correcting any assumption that she is there just to be admired.

Charles Lang’s photography lets us study the performers’ faces, and it is particularly attentive to the small changes in Monroe’s expression. That attention helps keep Sugar present as a person even while the men are occupied with their own difficulties. Orry-Kelly’s dresses make walking convincingly part of the job, giving the actors a joke before either has spoken. Curtis’s careful self-control and Lemmon’s busier movements keep the costumes from having to supply every laugh.

Arthur P. Schmidt’s editing gives the actors time after the line, when a look can make the joke worse for the person receiving it. The reactions have room to develop, particularly when Lemmon seems to be thinking his way into fresh trouble. Adolph Deutsch’s score helps keep things moving, although the dialogue and faces could often sustain the pace on their own. At 123 minutes, the film needs that variation in how it gets a laugh.

The crime material is less consistently rewarding. George Raft gives Spats Colombo a welcome severity, but Wilder’s gangster business can feel like an interruption once the leads have established their rhythm. The danger gives Joe and Jerry a reason to persist with their disguises, which the farce certainly needs. These passages are simply broader and less surprising than the exchanges among Curtis, Lemmon and Monroe.

Many disguise comedies exhaust themselves asking how long the clothes will fool somebody. Wilder keeps finding humour in how people behave once they think the clothes have worked, and the three leads make that a richer question than it sounds. Save it for an evening when company has agreed on nothing except wanting to laugh.

*Fi1m score 92, published 12 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics greet Some Like It Hot with enthusiasm, with praise clustering around the lead performances, brisk pace and sustained comic invention. Jack Lemmon’s timing draws particular attention, while Marilyn Monroe is repeatedly singled out for combining sexual appeal with comic skill; Tony Curtis completes a widely admired trio. The reviews also celebrate the sharp dialogue and Billy Wilder’s handling of a cross-dressing farce whose play with sexual identity remains central to its appeal.

Reservations are limited but distinct, with the spread running from wholehearted praise to qualified enjoyment. The Guardian finds much of it hilarious but is uncomfortable with what it sees as insistent vulgarity. Sight and Sound questions the gangster sequences and finds some stylistic confusion, while The New York Times notes occasional lulls. These reservations rarely extend to the cast: even the more cautious responses praise the performers’ ability to keep the comedy moving.

## Straight answers

**Is Some Like It Hot worth watching?**

*Some Like It Hot* is worth watching for almost anyone who wants to laugh, and we scored it 92. Billy Wilder's farce gives Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe exact jokes and lets them seem spontaneous. The gangster passages are broader and less surprising than the scenes among the three leads, but they are the only real weakness.

**How long is Some Like It Hot, and what is it rated?**

*Some Like It Hot* runs 2h 03m. It is a comedy and romance film.

**Where can I watch Some Like It Hot in the US?**

*Some Like It Hot* is streaming on Tubi and The Roku Channel in the US. It leaves Tubi on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Some Like It Hot, and is it suitable for children?**

*Some Like It Hot* is a PG comedy with very little to frighten anyone. It begins with two men fleeing the Mob, and George Raft's Spats Colombo brings a welcome severity, but the crime business is played broadly and stays in the background of the farce. The humour about disguise and desire is mild enough for most children, and adults will get more from it.

**How does Some Like It Hot compare to The Lady Eve?**

*Some Like It Hot* is the more boisterous of the two, and we rate it slightly higher than [*The Lady Eve*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve). Wilder's comedy runs on Jack Lemmon's whole-body agitation and Marilyn Monroe's timing, while Preston Sturges's film is a sharper, cooler romance built around Barbara Stanwyck making deception look effortless. Choose Wilder for company that wants to laugh, Sturges for a wittier evening.

**What should I watch after Some Like It Hot?**

After *Some Like It Hot*, try [*The Lady Eve*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve) (1941, Fi1m 90): Barbara Stanwyck makes romantic deception look effortless, while the supposed sophisticate struggles. Then [*Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown*](https://film.one/film/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown) (1988, Fi1m 84): Desire produces increasingly impractical behaviour, handled with brisk timing and sympathy for the desperate.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (5/5): The critic describes it as a crackling cross-dressing comedy with ideally matched leads Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon escaping the Mob in drag. It singles out the hilarious performances and classic status, noting the famous final line that nobody’s perfect. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rk1bzv/some-like-it-hot/)
- **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (5/5): The review calls Billy Wilder’s 1959 comedy still perfect, highlighting its transvestite premise, two men living happily ever after, and the famous last line. It praises the lead performances by Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe in this cross-dressing farce. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/some-like-it-hot)
- **Empire**, Angie Errigo (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a scintillating comedy that delivers on every level despite its daring mix of elements. They single out the snappy pace, non-stop invention and gags, and standout comic performances and timing, especially from Lemmon. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/like-hot-review/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): Ebert calls the film one of the enduring treasures of the movies, praising its inspiration, meticulous craft, and focus on sex disguised as a crime story. He singles out Marilyn Monroe's performance for particular acclaim, noting how she steals the film. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-some-like-it-hot-1959)
- **Vulture** (90/100, inferred): The piece celebrates the film as a perfect, endlessly beguiling comedy in service of the pleasure principle, singling out its bright sharp humor, memorable supporting turns, Orry-Kelly costumes, and Marilyn Monroe's embodiment of desire and sex appeal. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/some-like-it-hot-is-a-perfect-comedy-to-get-lost-in-tonight.html)
- **The Guardian** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds it a funny film with an odd, high flavour of humour that makes it a bit uncomfortable due to insistent vulgarity in the cross-dressing premise. The pace is fast, the humour often hilarious especially from Lemmon, and Monroe is singled out as irresistible. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/16/some-like-it-hot-reviewed-1959)
- **Sight and Sound**, Peter John Dyer: The critic finds the film a vibrant and clever burlesque attuned to unusual sexual peccadillos, praising Jack Lemmon's brilliantly worked-out performance as the standout. Some reservations are noted about the less successful gangster sequences and stylistic confusion. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/some-like-it-hot-archive-review-touch-consulting-room-fantasy)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin: The review describes the film as an outrageous, hilarious, and unpretentious trip through a funhouse of sexual identities, praising the rat-a-tat Wilder-Diamond dialogue, pervasive cynicism, and especially Monroe's magnetic screen presence and Lemmon's fearless comic performance. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-some-like-it-hot-billy-wilders-funhouse-of-sexual-exposure-tickles-anew-in-4k/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jack Moffitt: The critic calls it a supersonic, breakneck, belly-laugh comedy destined for box-office success, crediting Wilder's energetic direction, writing, and the cast's expert comic turns, particularly Lemmon's uproarious drag performance and the seamless mix of farce with gangster elements. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/some-like-hot-review-1959-movie-989529/)
- **The New Yorker**, John McCarten: McCarten describes the film as a jolly, carefree enterprise restoring old Mack Sennett-style nonsense to the screen through transvestite comedy. He praises the estimable cast, especially Jack Lemmon as the frightened bass player and Tony Curtis for his Cary Grant parody. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1959/04/04/sennett-anyone)
- **The New York Times**, Bosley Crowther: Crowther finds the film a breezy, professional farce with snappy dialogue and comic action that keeps it crackling and funny most of the time despite cooling off occasionally. He highlights the vigorous performances by Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/30/archives/screen-2hour-comedy.html)
- **Variety**: The review calls it probably the funniest picture of recent memory, a whacky, clever, farcical comedy that starts like a firecracker and keeps throwing off lively sparks. It singles out Marilyn Monroe's return and performance as Sugar for her sex appeal and comic timing, along with the directorial brilliance of Wilder. [Read](https://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/some-like-it-hot-2-1200419454/)
- **Eye for Film**, Scott Macdonald (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as the greatest farce in the movies and a sheer unadulterated sex comedy. They single out Marilyn Monroe's explosively erotic performance and the glorious double-act of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon for particular praise. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/some-like-it-hot-film-review-by-scott-macdonald)

## Details

- **Director:** Billy Wilder
- **Director:** Billy Wilder
- **Screenplay:** Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond
- **Story:** Michael Logan, Robert Thoeren
- **Cinematography:** Charles Lang
- **Editor:** Arthur P. Schmidt
- **Music:** Adolph Deutsch
- **Costume design:** Orry-Kelly
- **Producer:** Billy Wilder
- **Cast:** Tony Curtis as Joe (Josephine); Jack Lemmon as Jerry (Daphne); Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk; George Raft as Spats Colombo; Pat O'Brien as Detective Mulligan; Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III; Nehemiah Persoff as Little Bonaparte; Joan Shawlee as Sweet Sue
- **Runtime:** 2h 03m
- **Release (the US):** 19 March 1959
- **Genres:** Comedy, Romance, Crime
- **Also in:** [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1959); [The classics, without the homework](https://film.one/collections/classics-without-the-homework.md)
- **Budget:** $3 million
- **Box office:** $25 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97TYs2YXbJw

## Where to watch in the US

- Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd

*Checked 2026-09-12.*

Also available in: AR, BR, CA, CL, CO, FR, IT, MX, PA, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1960: Best Actor (nominated); Best Art Direction, Black and White (nominated); Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated); Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Lady Eve* (1941), Fi1m 90: Barbara Stanwyck makes romantic deception look effortless, while the supposed sophisticate struggles. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-eve.md)
- *La Cage aux Folles* (1978): A family visit turns respectable appearances into an exhausting and frequently funny occupation.
- *Victor/Victoria* (1982): Stage disguises complicate attraction, with enough musical pleasure to justify the extra confusion.
- *Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown* (1988), Fi1m 84: Desire produces increasingly impractical behaviour, handled with brisk timing and sympathy for the desperate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown.md)
- *Saving Face* (2004): Romance and family expectations create another comedy generous towards people keeping awkward secrets.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/some-like-it-hot