THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) - 5 STARS

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies"

 The phenomenon of using modern technology has escalated over the past couple of decades but it is the Internet which has proved to be the big stepping stone towards global success. However in 2003, a young, problematic student at Harvard University named Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea to create one of the most used websites in the computer age and make it become a sensation across the world: Facebook. But from then on, Zuckerberg was to encounter many flaws along his journey to becoming the world's youngest billionaire which would mainly include betrayal and lawsuits. Yet the story of how Facebook was created by Zuckerberg is adapted onto the big screen by renowned director David Fincher (SE7EN (1995), FIGHT CLUB (1999)) and writer Aaron Sorkin and emerges as one of the films of the year with a solid cast, a masterful script and a production that should gain support from users of Facebook including myself.

The desire of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Einsenberg) to create Facebook back in 2003 starts off with him being dumped by his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) who struggles to cope with his idealistic opinions about Harvard, resulting in him taking payback on her by posting a blog ridiculing her personality. This allows him to begin setting up an online social-networking site originally titled Facesmash, to allow fellow Harvard users to create profiles of themselves. With the help of best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), the pair finally begin to improve the website with crucial changes such as friend requests, wall posts and relationship statuses and soon the site becomes an overnight success. But ultimately there are complications to that success with Zuckerberg facing legal action from two brothers (both twins) based in Harvard who initially came up with the idea of a website similar to Facebook but would make accusations that Zuckerberg stole their idea. The website however continues to gain more users not just from universities but from around the world which eventually leads to Zuckerberg becoming the world's youngest billionaire. Ultimately the arrival of a fellow Internet entrepeneur named Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) was to cause complications with the friendship between the young billionaire and his co-founder Eduardo leading to a more personal legal battle between the pair. Nevertheless there is nothing to stop the global achievement that Facebook is getting but it still impacts itself on the two people who made it all possible......

Many people will think The Social Network is about Facebook but in reality it isn't. It's about Mark Zuckerberg and the people associated with him and the consequences that occur with the evolution of Facebook. It's about friends being driven apart due to money and betrayal as seen through Zukerberg and Saverin's fallout. What makes the film so brilliant is an impeccable script by Aaron Sorkin and from the first scene of Zuckerberg being dumped by Erica to the last shot, the dialogue is just witty and so well written, one of the best scripts in recent years with the way the characters interact e.g. Zuckerberg is never quite capable of shutting up or Eduardo always stops just short of explicating his emotions. Director David Fincher also does a great job keeping the audience captivated at a considerable pace. It is completely different to his previous work e.g. SE7EN (1995), FIGHT CLUB (1999) but is still another fabulous piece of work from him. Fincher also has the advantage of casting young actors, rather than major Hollywood actors, to step out of their comfort zones and deliver some truly phenomenal work which is justified by the performances of the three main actors. Jesse Einsenberg plays Zuckerberg as a cold, simplistic and determined genius who knows what he wants, is very confident and will stop at nothing to get it. His friend turned rival Eduardo is played with warmth and sympathy by British actor Andrew Garfield (recently cast as the new Peter Parker/Spiderman) who lends his support to Zuckerberg throughout the film before feeling betrayal by his friend. That bromance is the heart of The Social Network and keeps the emotional factor of the film together. The big surprise though is pop diva turned actor Justin Timberlake who plays Sean Parker as smooth yet smarmy as he comes into the film half-way and makes as big an impact as many with coming between Zuckerberg and Saverin's friendship while trying to boost Facebook's popularity. The rest of the mainly unknown cast have their chance to shine as well with no-nonsense Rooney Mara making an impact in two key scenes of the film, small but effective. This is also the latest Fincher film to feature great technical ability with the editing side a crucial aspect as well as a riveting score (the end credits song spot on for a film about wealth).

Though this is a monumental film, there are a couple of big flaws that deny it the five star rating. The fact/fiction debate is something to dwell on especially with regards to the fallout between Zuckerberg and Severin and whether the Erica character existed (possibly as a ploy for the emotional factor behind Zuckerberg's determination). The subject of women however is what leads to the controversy of the film particularly with how they are presented. While Erica's character speaks the truth, the other females are shown as sexually obsessed and seedy e.g. Parker's girlfriend parading around in a shirt and thong or the party scenes. It's very compelling and it certainly keeps your attention all the way through and that's no small task considering the subject matter and the fact that it's all depositions and flashbacks. It is undoubtedly the CITIZEN KANE of our generation. But even with a stark portrayal of women and a segment of the film being fiction, this is one of the early contenders for the Oscars and for myself certainly, this film deserves recognition and gets a "like" from me!

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (2010) - 4 STARS

"Greed is back"

At the moment I've been going through a Michael Douglas phase watching some of his best films notably FATAL ATTRACTION (1987) and FALLING DOWN (1994) which have added to the composure of the man in his acting vicinity. However I did watch his best performance in the money-making drama WALL STREET (1986) which allowed him to play his infamous character Gordon Gekko with such venom and deceitfulness that earned him the Best Actor Oscar. Now 24 years later, Douglas reprises his role as Gekko in the long-awaited sequel MONEY NEVER SLEEPS which sees him reunite with Oliver Stone (the director) and make a worthy installment which in some ways is as good as the original.

The film opens with notorious businessman Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) being released from prison after serving time for his crime in the first one. However the focus shines on upcoming hotshot Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) who works in Wall Street similarly to Charlie Sheen's character Bud Fox from the first film but he is determined to ensure his investment firm doesn't go under but his mentor, Louis (Frank Langella), is making some bad decisions for their firm. But when Louis ends up having to sell his share of the firm to arrogant investor Bretton James (Josh Brolin) for a very small price, he commits suicide much to Jake's devastation. He is comforted by his activist fiancee Winnie (Carey Mulligan) who happens to be Gekko's daughter but is estranged from her father. She tries to help Jake recover from his loss but soon he switches his attention to Gekko, firstly by watching him in a lecture and then seeking advice from him about rebuilding his firm. Gordon though wants to be reunited with Winnie who is reluctant to see her father again but Jake is determined to learn more from Gordon especially when he is hired by Bretton to orchestrate his own firm but clearly the young rookie plans to make him suffer for what happened to Louis. But the question is has prison helped Gordon or is he plotting something sinister to bring himself back on top of the game?

It is rare for a sequel 24 years after the original not only advancing its story but also having something new to say. Director Oliver Stone has changed the pace of the film from the original as he takes his time to paint his modern pictures of high society. People are no longer wearing power ties and having lavish lunches. We are going green and eating less red meat. Stone understood the dynamic shift in the culture on Wall Street and captured that change on film which is what he does well with the sequel. Using relevant editing techniques like the "split-screen" effect to emphasize on the hurried interaction among stock traders and brokers, Stone succeeds to a certain extent in depicting the frenzied drama of phone-calling, and "time is money" mentality that personalize these people. The return of Michael Douglas to the role that garnered him an Oscar was always going to gain the majority of anticipation and he doesn't disappoint. He portrays the supposedly rehabilitated Gekko as a man who is just as self-antagonizing as he was two decades ago, but now has the new found characteristic of subtlety. La Beouf nicely balances his character's idealism and shrewdness with angst and proves that he isn't a franchise ruining actor, there is dramatic potential in the man. Brolin adds slickness and deceit proving to be like Gekko in the first film while Frank Langella and Eli Wallach also give stellar supporting roles.

Unfortunately for Carey Mulligan, her Winnie role isn't all that fleshed out, being just the romantic lead opposite Shia (a real-life relationship) and her reconciliatory difficulties with her dad but shows her potential as a future British star in Hollywood (a'la Keira Knightley) while Susan Sarandon is rather wasted in the film too. The film also fails to get a message across in relation to the global financial crisis and all it offers are a couple of brief scenes where the big banks get together and discuss a bail out policy with the U.S. treasury. So does the sentimentality of the film which detracts the reason why the first film was so cunning with Gordon's humane side being demonstrated a lot more here with the writers going for a safer, more commercial option especially in the final ten minutes. There are some clever references to the first film from the reappearance of Gordon's mobile phone to Sylvia Miles's brief cameo as Gordon's former receptionist but Charlie Sheen's cameo is a little disappointing for some as if to say it was played too "let's-make-a-funny-reference-to-the-first-film" instead of a serious attempt at a dramatic moment. But still it's good to see him pop up in it. To conclude, this is a revenge and redemption movie with Wall Street and market crash as a backdrop. Douglas certainly is back with a vengeance and this is a sequel that deserves as much credit as the original: greed certainly is back!

GOODFELLAS (1990) ****(1/2)

"In a world that's powered by violence, on the streets where the violent have power, a new generation carries on an old tradition"

Gangster films have played a big role in changing the way I look at film through how dark and edgy they are, THE GODFATHER trilogy and SCARFACE (1983) certainly proved that factor with some great characters and infamous moments. I was then recommended Martin Scorsese's gangster epic GOODFELLAS (1990), at the time I hadn't come across Scorsese much though I was to watch THE DEPARTED (2006) shortly after watching this. However I came to appreciate this masterpiece of a film which set the boundaries for violent cinema and since then, no gangster film has really been as well acclaimed as this was. The idea of this film teaches us that gangsters are all around us, everyone knows it, but not everyone wants to accept it which is suggested throughout as one man's chronicles in the mafia became a horrific but fascinating true story.

We see a flashback involving a trio of gangsters stopping their car to find their victim still alive, and decide to finally finish him off. One of the gangsters named Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) recollects how 'as far back as he could remember he always wanted to be a gangster' which sets up the story of how Henry became part of the mafia which traces back to 1955. As a teenage boy, he ditched school to work for a group of gangsters led by fussy yet reserved boss Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and ended up building his reputation as a young man with bright ideas to get involved in the mob. Paulie would introduce him to fellow gangster Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and his henchman Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and together the trio would become involved in mob dealings such as robbery, drug dealing and even murder. After escaping prison for illegally selling cigarettes Henry learns to never rat out his friends and keep his mouth shut, a lesson that he is willing to accept which leads to him being regarded as one of their own. The film however focuses on Henry's gangster involvement also affecting his personal life, as the years pass in which he gets involved with Jewish woman Karen (Lorraine Bracco) and the pair end up getting together and marrying. Despite his profession though, Karen supports him throughout enjoying the thrill of being involved with a wiseguy.

But clearly the reputation for Henry becomes daunting for him with Tommy showing psychopathic motives towards those who ridicule him which is confirmed when former client Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) who is a 'made guy' ends up being murdered by Tommy in revenge for teasing him about his past. Jimmy is also someone not to mess with, as different time periods take place, the gang get involved in pulling off a major heist which goes successfully well. Unfortunately more bloodshed happens as Jimmy and Tommy try to ensure that anyone involved in the heist who gives themselves away to the cops will suffer the consequences which in typical gangster film fashion does happen. Henry tries to keep together his mob profession and his home life, but the sleaziness of the profession sees him cheat on Karen with other women but also become associated with cocaine which affects his state of paranoia. Ultimately prison does happen to Henry after he and Jimmy attack a client in another state, but the case of surviving whether it be inside or outside, affects his judgement. This is made more apparent with the shock death of one of the major characters and another major incident with the authorities which leaves Henry to consider whether he and his family can survive the connections with the mob or also face being bumped off, leading to him taking a stand....

The movie is based on the true-crime memoirs of the real-life Henry Hill, whose novel from Nicholas Pileggi; "Wiseguy" was adapted into a screenplay by Pileggi and Scorsese. The book itself is insightful; but the screenplay for the film is even better. The dialogue is incredible. The story works on two levels, both as an expose of how the gangster world and the gangsters themselves actually have very similar ambitions and worries as normal 9-5 people with regards to families and staying on top. Ray Liotta is perfect as the title gangster Henry Hill as he captures a sense of innocence yet at the same time a feeling of violence. One scene that proves that is his confrontation with a guy who tries to touch up Karen, leading to him being composed when confronting the guy, and after the incident having a big horrid look of revenge that is just terrific acting. Though not in the film as much as the poster shows De Niro's portrayal of Jimmy Conway is solid. The character's persona is that of a calm and reasonable nature, but really he is a paranoid killer who would kill even his closest associates for money behind the forced smiles. Joe Pesci however steals the film whenever he's on screen playing a short, deranged, loud-mouthed man with something wrong in his head. Someone makes an insult toward him and he shoots them, and then laughs. It's quite disturbing. Paul Sorvino gives great screen presence as Paulie and does a good job in the scenes he's in. Future Sopranos actress Lorraine Bracco has such a fiery attitude but a sparkling personality which translates well on camera and is very good alongside Liotta. Other Sopranos characters including Christopher Moltisanti, Paulie and Phil Leotardo also figure as well as a brief but ill-fated appearance from Samuel L Jackson. The reason the whole ensemble shines in their performances comes from the fact that they aren't acting like their characters; they are behaving like them.

There is drama but the humourous moments help the film including the famous tensioned "Am I funny" scene between Henry and Tommy which ends with the popular hysterical laughter of Henry adding to the hilarity of the film and showing great chemistry between the main characters. Technically too the film is fabulous with the time period focusing well between the 50's and 80's, arty costumes and a loud but energetic soundtrack including songs from Tony Bennett, Sex Pistols and of course The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter (used in future Scorsese films). The camerawork though deserves credit too with the long, tracking shots, especially the much-copied entrance through the kitchen. One flaw though to this film maybe Henry's narration throughout the film which paces well at the start but towards the end drags out and looks too much into the mafia aspect, while the final five-ten minutes feel rushed for the whole point of the story about what Henry and the family were forced to do. As much as the true events of Henry's life have been glamorized to a certain extent, the focus of the film is more a damning portrayal of the characters and lifestyle of mobsters and is done to perfection. Goodfellas makes you feel like you are watching guys that you know or knew. It all paints us a perfect picture of what mob life must be like.

MADE IN DAGENHAM (2010) - 4 STARS

"1968. It's a Man's World. But not for long...."

If ever I've come across a film about girl power, I can't help but be reminded of the farce that was SPICEWORLD THE MOVIE (1997), but when it comes to one based on a true story involving a power struggle between the two sexes, then you get a great mix of courage, defiance and unity especially if you're a woman. From director Nigel Cole who made CALENDER GIRLS (2003), he has created a much more superior film about women than in his other film. He has also managed to put together a great cast of British actors and actresses, set in a glorious time period and make it charming in one of the feelgood films of the year.

Set in 1968, the film tells the tale of the 187 women that worked at the Ford Motor companies factory in Dagenham who struggled to earn equal rights and pay with the 55,000 male workers at the factory and so decided enough was enough and went on strike. Leading the campaign is shy yet pleasant worker Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins) whose outrage about Ford representatives refusing to give the women more credit with their work leads to her rallying the girls to support the bid for equal pay. Amongst those assisting her on the campaign includes male factory boss Albert (Bob Hoskins), best friend Connie (Geraldine James) and sexy duo Brenda (Andrea Riseborough) and Sandra (Jaime Winstone) who show their determination towards getting their voices heard through traveling around the country gaining more support from other female workers. Many laugh at the women's actions until the reality sets in forcing the unions and the management to take production to a halt in a bid to try and stop the women marching on. The trials and tribulations of the women are seen through Rita's determination in the crusade causing harm to her marriage with male factory worker Eddie (Daniel Mays), Connie struggling to cope with her ill husband George (Roger Lloyd-Pack - Trigger of Only Fools and Horses) and the wife of one of the executives of Ford, Lisa (Rosamund Pike) keeping her feelings about the strike to herself. As the situation finally comes to a head with the chief participants (Ford, the Government, the Women, the unions and the men workers) realizing that things have gone too far, but none of them can back down so defense secretary Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson) steps in to try and even the situation determining whether the women's campaign was successful or not.....

Made in Dagenham is a gem of a film, interesting, entertaining and emotional but excels with the mixture of comedy and drama which is what made Calender Girls a success with audiences. As brought up before, Nigel Cole orchestrated a solid cast mostly female though the men impress too. Sally Hawkins produces a more serious, determined role as Rita compared to her more jolly Golden Globe winning-role as Poppy in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008). Her character is the leader of the struggle who begins to doubt her own single-mindedness and how much it's costing not just her family but the entire town's working community but Hawkins plays it very well and hopefully will get noticed by BAFTA/Oscar this time round. The other actresses do a solid job too with Geraldine James being the backbone of the group but having to go through her suffering with her ill husband, Rosamund Pike oozes of such charm and gorgeousness in her role and Riseborough and Winstone both play their parts well with such sizzling sexiness but great interplay with the other female characters. However it is Miranda Richardson who steals the supporting performances well with her uptight role as Barbara Castle taking her fury of sexism out on her two dumbstruck male civil servants while trying to help the girls with their campaign. On the male side, Bob Hoskins, as the warm and supportive shop steward Albert, is well cast and Daniel Mays does a satisfactory job as Rita's long-suffering husband, with the other male characters presented as selfish, repetitive and of course, sexist.

There is a lot of attention to period detail in the clothing and the music, the clothing especially looks sublime especially in one particular scene involving Sandra posing for the Ford car though also showing her commitment to the strike through lettering on her body. Made in Dagenham could be criticized for some of its historical inaccuracies and for not making more of a political statement though the ending does confirm what some of these women in real life went though. The darkness of the film does sometimes detract it through the relationship struggle between Rita and Eddie which drags on and climaxes predictably. It's also a pity as well that many male viewers will accuse the film of its focus on the portrayal of the women as strong salt-of-the-earth characters, whereas the men have to be seen as caricatures (especially the Ford executives). Some may also suggest this film is a British version of NORMA RAE (1979) but the wittiness of the British aspect makes it a worthwhile film that will be hugely popular with feminists. In a phrase, it's "Girl Power – union style.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957) ****

"Once in 50 years suspense like this!"

Prior to directing the popular rom-coms SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) and THE APARTMENT (1960), Billy Wilder had gone more serious and did so through adapting Agatha Christie's novel turned Broadway play WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958) into a successful suspense film, that captivates audiences (and ironically like Some Like It Hot) features three strong lead performances, a witty script and many extreme twists and turns that leave us shocked throughout but nonetheless in awe of such an underrated film that is still one of the great courtroom dramas of all time!

In London, veteran barrister Sir Wilfred Robards returns to his office/home having been released from hospital after a couple of months following a heart attack. He is pestered by his fussy but long-suffering nurse Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester) who wants Sir Wilfred to rest without getting involved in any cases. However solicitor Mayhew (Henry Darnell) approaches him with help with taking on a murder case where an American man named Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) has been accused of murdering a wealthy middle-aged widow in order to claim £80, 000 from her will. Leonard's insists that although he befriended the woman, he never had intentions of killing her to gain her fortune and pleads his innocence. Upon his arrest, his German wife Christina (Marlene Dietrich) manages to persuade Sir Wilfred to become her husband's barrister but it is clear that there is something suspicious about her support for her husband (the pair met in Germany following the end of World War II). Once the trial gets underway many twists and turns add to the tension of the case where Christina's commitment to her husband proves inaccurate, certain witnesses have their own idea about Leonard's involvement in the murder and Sir Wilfred, despite having to take pills, uses his experience and authority to try and prove Leonard's innocence which leads to an ending which originally seems to give a sentimental feeling to it only to be even more deceitful than can be suggested particularly in the final few minutes but gives great value to how the justice system can be flawed in the best of times.

Witness for the Prosecution is yet another highlight in the great director's history, and it proves that courtroom dramas can be both riveting and a great opportunity for some first rate comedy. Towards the end, Wilder bombards us with twist after twist, each one both making sense and topping the one before it. The film is deliriously entertaining throughout, with some truly great lines of dialogue (most of which are very quotable) and the formula comes from several angles with themes of love, health, sacrifice and most notably, justice, which proves even more important in the film's climax. Laughton's dialog is terrific throughout, bringing a number of laughs to this serious film with a sharp tongue, all bluster and cheeky into the bargain. His interplay with real life wife Elsa Lanchester (Miss Plimsoll) is quality and he is just a joy to watch. Marlene Dietrich's turn as Christine Vole is wonderfully sultry and femme fatalistic, it's a sizzling performance that crowns this delightful film while the other main female lead Lanchester is a scream as Laughton's by the book nurse. Her and Laughton had a marriage of "convenience" for many years and their fondness for each other comes through making their verbal fights even funnier and it's another testament to Wilder's genius for putting her and Laughton together. The courtroom scenes are terrific as Wilder ratchets up the tension on two fronts - the verdict regarding Power's alleged crime, and the uncertainty as to whether Robart's ticker will keep going long enough to hear it.

The flaws to the film do come in part to the acting. Tyrone Power uses his charm skillfully in his early scenes, yet seems to lose focus later on particularly with his overacting in the later scenes where he proclaims his 'innocence' but considering this was his final film before his sudden death, it certainly was one to remember. Dietrich though masterful in the film, does suffer at one point in the film with a dodgy accent as the surprise witness who complicates the proceeding. As for the plot, though interesting, could never happen in real life as things work out just a tiny bit too conveniently as well as being filled with unrealistic interruptions from the accused and surprise witnesses from both sides. But overall, add in Wilder's carefully-conceived adaptation and flawless direction it makes this is a finely made, superbly acted, and very gripping mystery.

SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) ****(1/2)

"The movie too HOT for words!"

Whenever I've come across films about trans-gender, I tend to really enjoy them, MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993) and TOOTSIE (1982) are two very popular comedies which I hold very dearly though Doubtfire is a family classic. But when I came across this film from over 50 years ago during my Auteur Theory seminars at university, this popular gem was shown to portray feminism in film and certainly my fellow uni mates and I thoroughly enjoyed the film which is often heralded as THE greatest rom-com of all time with three fabulous lead performances, a terrific script and some classic scenes as well as the 'perfect' final line to a film. Following the tragic death of lead actor Tony Curtis a few days ago, I gave the film a third viewing and once again was treated to a delight of a film that even after 50 years is still hugely popular and as funny as ever!

Set in Chicago, 1929, the film begins with a funeral car being pursued by police who start firing at the men inside the car. It emerges that the men are carrying hundreds of bottles of liquor to be delivered to the funeral parlour where in a hidden room is a swinging club with musicians and singers which involves lots of booze being drank. An undercover police detective goes into the club which is owned by local gangster Spats Colombo (George Raft) and is about to be raided. Working in the club are two down-on-their-luck jazz musicians; Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) whose opportunity of getting paid at the club backfires when the raid occurs leaving the men broke. Their trip to an employment office sees them believe they have the chance of joining a band that are heading to Miami only to find it is two female musicians they want. Instead they try another job but whilst trying to take a car from a garage owned by a gang, another car arrives with Spats and his gang confronting the others and gunning them down (vengeance from Spats to his rival for ratting him out to the police) which is witnessed by Joe and Jerry. The two somehow escape and go on the run and realize that they can't stick around in Chicago so they decide to take a bizarre route by joining the female band on the train, dressed up as women! Taking the names of Josephine and Daphne, the pair's awkwardness of dressing up in woman's clothing sees them settle in well as the other female musicians make them welcome.

Whilst on the train, the pair meet sultry blond-haired singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) who makes both men feel uneasy because of her seductive nature, she too is running away from men and confides in them about how she yearns to get herself a millionaire husband when the group get to Miami. Once the party arrives in the warm paradise of Miami, they settle into their hotel though Jerry finds himself being pestered by a rowdy, retired millionaire named Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown) who tries to charm 'her' only to be rejected instantly. Joe on the other hand comes up with a plan to try and get together with Sugar by stealing the band's executive's suitcase donning a pair of glasses, wearing a naval uniform and putting on a British accent to try and charm her. She falls for him especially when he mentions about being involved with the Shell Oil Company and owning a luxury yacht though he comes up with a great strategy to be more intimate with her by using Osgood's boat that evening while the millionaire is Cuba-dancing with Jerry. The plan goes well, much to Jerry's annoyance, as Joe becomes romantic with Sugar and the pair share several passionate kisses (making up an excuse about struggling to enjoy love as she tries to make him enjoy it again). However it is clear that Joe can't keep up with changing his clothes and identities but things soon get more complicated for him and Jerry when Spats and his gang turn up to their hotel still looking for them leading to a hectic but satisfying conclusion.........

 

What results is an uproarious Laurel and Hardy-like farce with mistaken identities, burlesque-styled antics, and a madcap chase finale, all under the supervision of director Billy Wilder, who also co-wrote the script. Today the modern viewer sees this film with many homosexual overtones, but the film-makers made a point to stress the two male character's heterosexuality in this film. With their energetic yet contrasting persona's, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis make an ideal leading pair for a movie of this nature. Their energy and their sense of just how far they can exaggerate things make it very easy to like their characters and to become interested in what happens to them, and in turn that makes everything else fit together. Curtis, who was a mean-faced man of action, makes a surprisingly good woman, in both looks and mannerisms but it is Lemmon who is inspired with his faultless comedy-timing and when needed, a sense of the dramatic. As for the immortal Marilyn Monroe, she is at her most sexual here as the bubbly, desperado looking for love in all the wrong places. Despite her gold-digging instincts, Monroe's Sugar is cozy, vulnerable and altogether lovable, getting a lot of support too out of her solo singing, which include her classic signature song "I Wanna Be Loved by You." Joe E. Brown has a lot of fun with his role where he plays his character to sheer charming perfection and speaks the best line of the film (the last one) immaculately. Technically too the period feel of great depression era costumes and sets are also excellent, a very convincing feel of the time period.

The film's only fault might be a couple of overlong musical numbers, performed either by the whole band or soloed by Sugar Kane. Though to be expected in a Marilyn Monroe film, these musical acts are literal show stoppers that bring the comedy value of the film to a screeching halt. However, it is easy to overlook these minor defects in the movie as a whole with lines which just smack of sexual referencing, it causes belly laughs throughout. Credit goes to Wilder for one of the best comedy scenes in film involving all four major characters. The transitional cuts between Curtis and Monroe, attempting to let him feel love again, with Fielding and Lemmon, cutting up the tango dance floor, are absolutely hilarious. It never resorts to the sort of lowbrow humour of most of our modern comedy, and it demonstrates how light hearted comedy should be done and because by and large it is quite funny and after all, "nobody's perfect".