The Seven Year Itch

Now this is the kind of comedy I like -- smart! Any die-hard feminist watching this film would choke. Marilyn Monroe giggling, cooing, and slinking her way through the film -- I can see where some women could get mighty upset about it. I think Billy Wilder wrote the film with that fully in mind, though. Not a moment passes without reference to sex in some form or another. The film ends up thwarting any feminist issues such as male domination or misogyny. Monroe is clearly on top in this film -- she's the manipulator and the guys end up looking like fools. As I've said before, I'm not a huge Monroe fan, but she was born for this film. There is none other who could have pulled it off, and I don't think that's because of her fantastic acting skills. She's more than a sexpot, she's a living, breathing representation of femininity. Oh, the plot! A nice, hard-working seven-years- married husband sends his wife and kid away for the summer, but a bewitching girl moves into the apartment above. (Be sure to watch for a hilarious send-up of vegetarianism as perceived by 1950s culture.)

year: 1955
length: 105 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048605/combined