Author: Jack Greenbaum
The Hollywood romantic comedy has become so formulaic these days that audiences are hungry for even the slightest shift in paradigm (e.g., “Love, Actually” or “Knocked Up”).
Theatergoers flock to these films for a breath of fresh, witty and heartwarming air. However, a fair share of these archetypal romantic comedies still provide audiences with funny and sweet entertainment in ways more contemporary films of the genre do not.
So even though “Life As We Know It” is going into its fourth, contrived and predictable week at the box office, I thought I’d recommend seeing “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” a hilarious 1953 comedy you can watch at the New Beverly Cinema all this weekend or anytime on your Netflix Instant account.
Most people are familiar with the iconic footage of Marilyn Monroe smiling seductively and confessing that “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Yet the film holds a lot more entertainment value than just that famous scene. It tells the tale of two showgirls, Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw (Monroe and Jane Russell), who embark on a voyage to Europe to pursue an elaborate plan, hatched by Monroe’s character, to coax her flush fiancé into marrying her.
Along the way, the two attract the attention of an Olympic track team, a diamond mine mogul, a private detective and Henry Spofford III (George Winslow) in what proves to be a hilarious and energetic excursion.
The film plays upon the allure of beautiful women and the benefits and drawbacks of enticing every man they meet. Lorelei, in particular, finds herself in some precocious situations, including being photographed with another man playing “the python and the goat.” Then, it’s up to her and Dorothy to get the photos before they fall into the hands of Lorelei’s future husband Gus (Tommy Noonan) and controlling father (Taylor Holmes).
Through a series of comical stunts, the beautiful pair outsmarts everyone who tries to stand in Lorelei’s way.
As far as the duo goes, Dorothy is not just the opposite of Lorelei in hair color, but romantically as well. She’s looking to marry for love instead of money and finds herself a suitable suitor in Malone (Elliot Reid), the private detective sent to expose Lorelei. He’s the perfect adversary to match her wits and lips. Their contentious relationship gives them just the right combination of chemistry and ardor.
The film succeeds where most modern rom-coms fail because it focuses on the story instead of the stars.
Of course, it’s a challenge for anyone to pry their eyes off of Monroe, clad in diamonds, or Russell, whose sensual sway seizes any viewer’s attention.
Too often today, it seems like the studios churn out box office disasters where the logic is, “Hey, wouldn’t people like to see Gerard Butler handcuffed to Jennifer Aniston for two hours?” and nothing further.
Sure, audiences in the ’50s probably would have watched Russell and Monroe parade through just about any film, but people today still watch them because studios didn’t just stick them in any old schlock. This film’s plot involves the audience in the duo’s trials and tribulations so that they tense when there’s trouble and celebrate when the women triumph.
This isn’t to say that people aren’t going to see the modern rom-com or that there were films that didn’t garner audiences in the past. However, audiences too often seem to flock to the theater for some superficial story where the journey for love is faint and feigned. The reason isn’t because viewers today have lower expectations, but rather that they are myopic to the collection of quality films from decades past that would satiate their cinematic desire. If only they were to look to the classics like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” they would see that there are movies that can make you heartened and hopeful for that “happily ever after.”
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