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Some Like It Hot

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    One of the wildest farces ever.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 11 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
  • Violence:

    Off-screen gangland slaying, characters in peril.
  • Sex:

    Oblique and light-hearted references to everything from transvestism to impotence.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Sugar drinks when she is unhappy.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Some Like It Hot was written by Nell Minow

Parents need to know that this is one of the wildest farces ever filmed, but it has a lot of heart as well, with brilliant performances by all three stars. Older kids can handle the mature content here (and some of the references may fly over their heads).

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about how the characters change from their experiences. How does Joe change, and what makes him change? What does he learn from being dressed as a woman? How do Joe and Jerry react differently to dressing as women? How does Sugar behave differently with "Junior" and "Josephine"?
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More on Some Like It Hot

What’s the Story?

Musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) accidentally witness the St. Valentine's Day massacre of a group of bootleggers by Spats Columbo (George Raft) and his mob. Desperate to get out of town, they accept a job with a band on its way to Florida -- an all-girl band -- and they dress as women, calling themselves "Josephine" and "Daphne." When they get to Florida, Joe adopts yet another disguise, this time as a wealthy bachelor, and attempts to woo the band's lead singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Meanwhile, Osgood (Joe E. Brown), an actual wealthy bachelor, is interested in "Daphne." Meanwhile, Spats and his gang arrive at the hotel for a conference with other gang leaders, which results in even more bloodshed. Can Joe get the girl and get away from Spats?

Is It Any Good?

SOME LIKE IT HOT is one of the wildest farces ever filmed, but it has a lot of heart as well, with brilliant performances by all three stars. Monroe is heartbreakingly vulnerable as Sugar, explaining that she always gets "the fuzzy end of the lollypop." Joe must become someone else in order to learn the truth about Sugar (who would never have confided in a man) and about himself (as he sees the consequences of his exploitive behavior and feels what it is like to have men try to force their attentions on him). Jerry, hilariously, turns out to be as suggestible as a woman as he was as a man. As himself, he ends up going along with whatever Joe tells him. In women's clothes, he starts to think of himself as a woman. The scene where he tells Joe he and Osgood are engaged is a classic.

Movie Details

Studio: MGM/UA, Director: Billy Wilder
Run time: 121 minutes
DVD release: 5/22/2001
MPAA Rating: NR

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    So funny! Great family movie!

    This is a great family movie. My dad showed it to me and my ten year old sister and we loved it. WATCH THIS MOVIE. There is some kissing on a fancy boat near the end kinda, and there is a small 'slumber party' where the girls are all drinking when they're not allowed to. Nothing too bad. :)

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    perfect for 10 year olds or older

    this movie was tereffic! I loved when the gangsters start to fight and when the girl is unhappy they had sugar drinks.

  3. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0

    You just have to like that kind of movie

    Honestly Its a classic. its one of my favorite Monroe movies me and my mom both enjoy watching it. but i would probly say that about any thing Monroe was in.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Missouri
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

  5. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Nebraska
    Kids ages: 14
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Funniest Movie Ever? I Don't Think So...

    ...But don't get me wrong: I liked it. It was just average, though. A lot of hype for not very much. Good news: it isn't graphic or egregious. Innuendos are rampant in the film, but they are silly and harmless. Violence is really the main concern. By COMMONSENSE's review, I took the "off-screen" shooting to mean that it was implied. Not so. It is very much onscreen. Gangster slayings are shown (with blaring machine guns and bloodied bodies), and several men are shot when a weapon-wielding henchman pops out of a birthday cake. The two main characters are in peril for most of the film.

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