In an effort to learn more about one of my favorite movie stars of all time, Marilyn Monroe, I watched the 1960 romantic comedy musical Let’s Make Love. This was one of the sex symbol’s last movies before her death in 1962, but surely after seeing it now in 2011, it’s undeniable why the world wanted so much of this Hollywood icon.
The film overall will not change the way you look at musicals, nor will it make you believe that Monroe was an Oscar-worthy actress (although she did earn three Golden Globe awards during her career). However, there’s a rare girl-next-door quality that she brings to her performance as Amanda Dell, a small-time dancer / singer / actress. But the movie doesn’t focus entirely on Monroe, although she is the object of the protagonist’s affection, naturally.
According to IMDB, the storyline is as follows: “When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell.” Said billionaire is played by French actor Yves Montand, who is perhaps best known for his role in 1986’s Jean de Florette, earning him a second BAFTA nomination.
This musical has all of the right elements of humor and potential for reinvention to find success with today‘s audience. If a rising ingénue, perhaps like Julianne Hough (Footloose) or Jennifer Lawrence (Winter‘s Bone), can sing and perform better than Christina Aguilera was according to the critical reviews for Burlesque, this movie could become a modern-day force to be reckoned with.
Also in the movie is The Odd Couple star Tony Randallas Clement’s accidental accomplice Alexander Coffman; British pop singer Frankie Vaughan as actor Tony Danton; and also features very charming cameos by comedy giant Milton Berle, classic swooner Bing Crosby, and legendary dancer Gene Kelly. These three are hired to help Clement in his disguised pursuit to win over Amanda’s affections during production of the show.
Overall, if you’re looking for something light and fun, this is a great throwback movie to watch. We see Monroe really flex her comedy muscles in a natural way that mainstream audiences won’t expect from the often typecast blonde. The quality of music could use a little work when you consider over-the-top musicals like Moulin Rouge or the on-screen production of Chicago. However, there’s a lot that a movie-musical junkie can get from this film, directed by George Cukor (My Fair Lady, The Philadelphia Story, A Star is Born).
I could even picture the likes of Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Hugh Dancy (Adam), Javier Bardem (Biutiful), or some other European leading man taking over the part of Clement if this was ever going to be reinvented. While they’re not known for partaking in comedy pictures, this could be an interesting change of pace.
Take a look at this trailer for the movie, which features dance numbers, music, romance, and of course, a sexy blonde strutting about. My overall grade for this would be a B+, simply because it holds true to all the reasons why we cherish the nostalgia of old Hollywood, minus the gritty politics that we so often gossip about in regards to the movie industry today.
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