The Seven Year Itch

I saw this years ago at Film Forum and remembered being less than impressed.

On this viewing, I was downright hostile about it. Tom Ewell sucks. He was good enough in The Great American Pastime but terrible in this. Maybe it wasn't his fault though. It's hard to adapt a play and Wilder wasn't terribly successful with it. I hated Ewell's constant narration. He just wasn't funny.

Marilyn Monroe, on the other hand, was incredible. She's the only reason to watch this movie. As dated as this movie feels, she sure doesn't. Completely timeless. Jim, Bart, and I all thought the whole dress rising because of the air from the subway grate was a bit more, um, revealing than it actually was though. Disappointing.

In retrospect, this movie makes me realize that perhaps I was wrong about A Guide for the Married Man. 10 years later, similar theme but much better. No Marilyn though.

Directed by Billy Wilder
1955
DVD