Highly Recommended
I was saddened to hear of the death of Tony Curtis, whom I have always enjoyed watching, even in his more kitschy films (think 1993's The Mummy Lives, with Curtis as the mummy). This evening I watched Some Like It Hot in his honor and remembered just why I love this film.
Curtis has a broad canvas to display his underrated comedic skills and Jack Lemmon is inspired as Daphne, wallowing in his gender bending role to great effect. Shot in black in white, the sets are small (except the wonderful Hotel Del Coronado, standing in for the Ritz in Florida) and display the actors' work to good advantage. This is arguably one of Billy Wilder's best films, and indeed, the American Fillm Institute has called it one of the ten funniest comedies of the 20th century.
Curtis had a much broader range as an actor than he was ever credited with from drama (Spartacus and The Boston Strangler) to comedy (Operation Petticoat), but this film is a fitting one to watch in tribute, as some of his best work ever.