Movie · 1955 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 45m · NR · English
Curator score: 4.3/10 (115.2K ratings)
It TICKLES and TANTALIZES! - The funniest comedy since laughter began!
Overview
When his family goes away for summer vacation, a hitherto faithful publishing executive with an overactive imagination is tempted by an attractive new neighbor.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.3/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.31/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Billy Wilder
Production
Charles K. Feldman Group, 20th Century Fox
Cast
Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oskar Homolka, Marguerite Chapman, Victor Moore, Donald MacBride, Carolyn Jones, Dolores Rosedale, Kathleen Freeman, Doro Merande, Ron Nyman, Tom Nolan, Ralph Littlefield, Dorothy Ford, William H. O'Brien, Steven Benson
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, TCM, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, polished 1950s sex comedy with Billy Wilder’s sharp comic timing and Marilyn Monroe’s star power, but it’s also built around a deeply dated male fantasy and a protagonist many viewers will find irritating or unlikable. Worth it if you want classic Hollywood style, cultural history, and Monroe at full glow; less so if you need a romance with emotional balance or modern sensibilities.
Best for
fans of classic Hollywood comedies
viewers interested in Marilyn Monroe’s screen persona
Billy Wilder completists
people curious about mid-century gender politics on film
fans of light, satirical farce
Skip if
you dislike sexist or male-gaze-driven comedy
you want a sympathetic lead character
you prefer modern romantic comedies
you are sensitive to outdated attitudes toward women and marriage
Overview
Billy Wilder turns a flimsy premise into a slick, highly watchable comedy of temptation and self-delusion. The film’s real engine is not the plot but the performance dynamic: Tom Ewell’s anxious, increasingly ridiculous husband against Marilyn Monroe’s effortless, almost mythic screen presence.
Worth noting
That said, the movie is very much a product of its era, and the joke often depends on the audience recognizing how absurd and intrusive the man’s fantasies are. For some viewers that reads as satirical; for others it simply feels exhausting, especially given how little agency the woman is allowed beyond being an object of projection.
Bottom line
Still, as a piece of studio-era craftsmanship, it’s crisp, funny, and historically revealing. If you approach it as a time capsule with star power and strong comic construction, it delivers; if you want a romance that feels emotionally fair, it probably won’t land.
Top Letterboxd reviews
✨𝒜𝓇𝒾𝓃✨ (2.5★) · 1469 likes
I came to watch a film about Marilyn Monroe being stunning instead I spent 1h 45mins watching a paranoid, narcissistic prick cheat on his wife🙄
Poppy (Edward) (2.5★) · 1229 likes
Me everytime Richard thought something bad was going to happen to him: I'm supposed to feel sorry for that bitch? I don't!
Sally Jane Black · 899 likes
Monroe's easy charisma and confidence make the somewhat unfortunate fact that her character is blase toward continual (and violent) advances somehow almost tolerable. it seems less oblivious, less silly, and somehow almost powerful for her to be above it, in part because she has a goal in this story that has nothing to do with romance or sex. She doesn't use sex to get what she wants, either, but merely exists as a force of sexuality around the obnoxious main… more Monroe's easy charisma and confidence make the somewhat unfortunate fact that her character is blase toward continual (and violent) advances somehow almost tolerable. it seems less oblivious, less silly, and somehow almost powerful for her to be above it, in part because she has a goal in this story that has nothing to do with romance or sex. She doesn't use sex to get what she wants, either, but merely exists as a force of sexuality around the obnoxious main… more
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
Another Wilder comedy that pairs fast-moving farce with iconic star performances and sharper social mischief.