The Most Glamorous Entertainment Of Your Lifetime in CinemaScope. You See It Without Glasses!
Overview
Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.4/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Jean Negulesco
Production
20th Century Fox
Cast
Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell, Alexander D'Arcy, Fred Clark, William Powell, Percy Helton, Harry James, Hope Landin, Ruth Hall, Charlotte Austin, Merry Anders, Robert Adler, Tom Greenway, Jan Arvan, John Breen, Benny Burt
Where to watch
TCM
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, star-powered 1950s comedy that plays like a champagne fizz of fashion, flirtation, and female chemistry. It’s light on plot but rich in charm, with Monroe, Bacall, and Grable carrying the movie through wit, timing, and pure screen presence.
Best for
fans of classic Hollywood comedies
viewers who enjoy glamorous ensemble casts
people looking for breezy romance with strong female leads
audiences interested in 1950s fashion and studio-era polish
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted romantic comedy
you dislike old-fashioned gender politics
you prefer subtle or realistic relationship stories
you are not in the mood for a high-gloss, lightweight tone
Overview
How to Marry a Millionaire is one of those studio-era comedies that survives on charisma, timing, and the sheer pleasure of watching movie stars work. The premise is pure fantasy, but the film knows exactly what it is: a stylish, urban wish-fulfillment romp built around three women with very different comic energies.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest asset is its trio of leads, who turn a simple gold-digging setup into something sharper and more playful than the title suggests. The banter is brisk, the fashion is a spectacle, and the film keeps finding ways to let its women dominate the frame, even when the romance machinery is humming in the background.
Bottom line
It’s not especially deep, and some of its assumptions feel very much of its era, but that’s part of the artifact as well as the appeal. If you want a polished, star-driven comedy with a strong sense of style and a lot of screen sparkle, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Noah · 1529 likes
still upset this isn't a step to step guide
eely (3.5★) · 951 likes
lauren bacall selling and reselling furniture that doesn’t even belong to her to pay for the rent for her luxury nyc apartment while desperately trying to get william powell to marry her: all problems I would love to have
Will Steele (3★) · 864 likes
Lauren Bacall earns 10 comedy points for justifying her character’s romance with an older man by referencing her crush on ‘that old fellow what’s-his-name in The African Queen’ 👏🏻
Eliza (4★) · 822 likes
Marilyn Monroe is genuinely a fantastic comedic actress and I HATE how her image has been just turned into this stereotypical dumb blonde that's hated by film bros and idolized by teenage white girls who wish they lived in the 50s.
jonah (3★) · 699 likes
that moment when lauren bacall, a queen, comes across two other queens (marilyn monroe and betty grable) and discusses how best to maximize their joint slay
1955 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 45m · NR · Curator 4.3/10 (115.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, TCM, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Another Marilyn-centered studio comedy with a playful, polished tone and a strong sense of midcentury fantasy.
1959 · Comedy, Romance, Crime · 2h 3m · NR · Curator 9.7/10 (658.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who want classic comedy with sharper writing, bigger laughs, and iconic star chemistry.
1936 · Comedy · 1h 35m · NR · Curator 9.2/10 (28.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Pure Flix, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For the blend of wealth, romance, and social satire, with a brisk comic rhythm and elegant screwball energy.