Overview
A hilarious romp through mistaken identities and romantic entanglements in the roaring 1920s.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- classic movie night
- date night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a brilliantly crafted, quick-witted screwball comedy whose energetic performances and meticulous pacing make it an enduring classic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joe and Jerry impersonate Josephine and Daphne to join an all-girl band while the audience tracks their concealed identities.
The musicians flee Spats Colombo after witnessing the St. Valentine's Day massacre and remain threatened by his crew.
The film's cross-dressing, flirtation, and taboo-adjacent gender play achieved unusual comic force under the weakening Hays Production Code.
The black-and-white image contrasts nightclub crime scenes, train travel, and the colorful theatricality of the all-girl band.
Films like Some Like It Hot, and why
Tootsie
shares screwball comedy, cross-dressing deception, romantic entanglements, and rapid-fire farce
The Ladykillers
shares black comedy, crime plotting, mistaken identities, and escalating comic chaos
Victor/Victoria
shares witty romantic farce, gender disguise, musical performance, and ensemble comic timing
The Blues Brothers
shares gangster comedy, musicians on the run, and a lighthearted collision between crime and romance
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Release Date
- 1959-03-19
- Runtime
- 123 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (4005)
Cast
- Tony Curtis
- Jack Lemmon
- Marilyn Monroe
- George Raft
- Pat O'Brien
- Joe E. Brown
- Nehemiah Persoff
- Joan Shawlee
- Billy Gray
- George E. Stone
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, TCM
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Some Like It Hot about?
- Two Chicago musicians outrun gangsters by joining an all-girl band in disguise, triggering a classic cascade of romantic and criminal farce.
- What is Some Like It Hot like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Some Like It Hot as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Some Like It Hot violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Some Like It Hot as mild.
- What did critics think of Some Like It Hot?
- Critics broadly regard it as a brilliantly crafted, quick-witted screwball comedy whose energetic performances and meticulous pacing make it an enduring classic.
- Which films are like Some Like It Hot?
- Films with a similar feel include Tootsie, The Ladykillers, Victor/Victoria, and The Blues Brothers.
- How long is Some Like It Hot?
- Some Like It Hot runs 123 minutes.
- Where can I watch Some Like It Hot?
- In United States, Some Like It Hot streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, TCM.
