--- title: "Some Like It Hot: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/some-like-it-hot/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/some-like-it-hot" critics_score: 89 critics_reviews: 7 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): what the critics said Critics' score 89 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rk1bzv/some-like-it-hot/) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 5/5. 14 July 2014. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/some-like-it-hot) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/like-hot-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-some-like-it-hot-1959) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 2020. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/some-like-it-hot-is-a-perfect-comedy-to-get-lost-in-tonight.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 1959. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/16/some-like-it-hot-reviewed-1959) ## Sight and Sound — Peter John Dyer 1 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/some-like-it-hot-archive-review-touch-consulting-room-fantasy) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin 23 February 2019. 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 the review](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 25 February 1959. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/some-like-hot-review-1959-movie-989529/) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten 28 March 1959. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1959/04/04/sennett-anyone) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther 30 March 1959. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1959/03/30/archives/screen-2hour-comedy.html) ## Variety 24 February 1959. 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 the review](https://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/some-like-it-hot-2-1200419454/) ## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2011. 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 the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/some-like-it-hot-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) --- © 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/some-like-it-hot.md