A-List:
Movies That Should Be Left Alone
By Josh Spiegel
March 15, 2010
Some Like It Hot
Again, here's a movie that's in no current danger of being remade, thanks to the massive flop that was Connie and Carla (that would be Nia Vardalos' follow-up to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which managed to be a female version of the classic comedy). But men dressing up as women has been far too common; a 1980s TV show, Bosom Buddies, was constructed around such a premise. And sure, seeing Tom Hanks in a dress is funny, if only because...well, it's Tom Hanks. But after movies such as Sorority Boys (admit it; like me, you're ashamed to have even heard of this movie), isn't it about time to give up the ghost? Men dressing up as women can be funny, but in some ways, it's never been better than it was in Some Like It Hot. This period comedy about two hapless musicians who have to go undercover to avoid mobsters made the idea of cross-dressing men iconic, but almost made it unnecessary to repeat.
There have been popular films since then about men who dress up as the fairer sex, such as Tootsie, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The Birdcage (based on the French film La Cage aux Folles), but none have been as classic as Some Like It Hot. The former of those three movies is certainly well-loved, but it's unfortunately a product of its times. The movie reeks from high heaven of being a typical early-1980s comedy, from its cheesy jazz score by Dave Grusin to the unfortunate supporting performance from Teri Garr right down to the now unlikely idea that Bill Murray would ever have a hilarious yet nearly invisible cameo as the title character's wry roommate. I'm even partial to some of Mrs. Doubtfire, even with it being incredibly sentimental. But I'm even more tired of Hollywood thinking that big-name actors dressing up badly as women is funny. It's not. Let's hang it up, folks.
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