Before there was the Coen Brother’s or even Stanley Kubrick kicking ass and taking names in all sorts of genres, there was Billy Wilder.
Yep, the same Billy Wilder who made Double Indemnity, one of the best film noirs ever, and Sunset Boulevard, one of the best character studies ever. And now he makes a movie, according to the AFI top 100 Comedies List is not one of the best comedies of all time but THE best of all time.
My AFI articles tend to concentrate on what makes each entry so good, but how does one create the best comedy ever? How is that even measured? Is there some laugh seismic scale measuring it mathematically? Well, there’s probably some tech company in Silicon Valley working on it, but until then I think it’s a matter of the movie doing laughs incredibly well (I have tons of info on exactly that here, here, and here), while also making a great movie. Maybe Anchorman or Airplane can go toe to toe with laughs on this one, but this movie goes above and beyond just funny, making an amazing movie as a whole.
So here we are with 1959’s Some Like it Hot (following along with the order of the podcast that’s so hot you must like it, Unspooled), written and directed by Billy Wilder.
Stepping into someone else’s heels
Some Like it Hot is all about empathy. Specifically its message is all about “experiencing someone else’s life will give us empathy”
Joe and Jerry are two men who haven’t treated women with a lot of respect--that is until they’re forced to live as women, and they get to experience their world view. Living as women, they experience getting hit on left and right as well as the loss of power. They then treat the women in their lives much better.
It’s a simple lesson, and the plot/ message has been copied so many times, from Witness to Sister Act, but Some Like it Hot does it the best.
Part of the reason is that the characters are so damn good. Joe, Jerry, and Sugar are such likable people. And for that matter, so are Josephine and Daphne (their alter egos). Even the “Spats” Colombo crew is intriguing.
Having characters that we love to see and putting them in hilarious situations makes the movie’s message go down so smoothly (if we had less likable characters, any message will seem far more preachy).
You could say that the movie is progressive, especially for 1950. Ok, maybe not the “why would a man want to marry another man” line, but everyone in the film does seem to be very open-minded.
A perfect ending
Sticking the landing in a movie is TOUGH. And it’s important too because for the audience, the ending can make or break the movie. It’s the last impression we’re left with, and however it is forms a huge association between us and the film.
For a drama it usually needs to be something emotionally impactful, for a horror movie, something scary, and for a comedy--it should be the best laugh of the entire movie.
Unlike a standup routine the movie doesn’t have the luxury of moving its best joke to the end for that purpose. The movie has to build towards it, and it has to feel congruent.
Fortunately I can’t think of any example better than Some Like it Hot.
The scene with Joe and Osgood is perfect. It builds from the characters and situations already established in the movie: Joe looking for money and getting himself into a relationship with a philanderer, and Osgood’s chief characteristic is not giving up on his love (especially after his mother made him give up on his last one).
And for comedy writers, it’s the epitome of good heightening. If Joe were to just reveal that he’s a man and Osgood says “nobody’s perfect,” it would be amusing, but nowhere near as good as the build up to it with the Osgood justifying why each of Jerry’s excuses doesn’t phase him.
I’m fairly certain that this ending is what helps solidify the film as the best ever comedy.
It is rare for a comedy to get this kind of respect. It seems like we have to let it age before we can declare it as one of the best movies ever made.
But any comedy that is going to make it is going to have to follow in the footsteps of this one. It is going to have to both be full of funnies, and it has to be a truly great movie.
It has to deliver a message that’s universal, while also delivering a perfect and hilarious ending.
No nobody is perfect, but Some Like it Hot might be as close to it as a comedy can get.
Thanks for reading!
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