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May 01, 2025 Web Exclusive By Zachary Lee Photography by The Criterion Collection

“Well, nobody’s perfect.” That phrase has remained one of cinema’s most iconic closing lines, a fitting coda to Billy Wilder’s laugh-out-loud crime comedy, Some Like It Hot. No matter how many times that line may be memed or remixed throughout pop culture, nothing beats the way Joe E. Brown delivers it, with the perfect balance of self-aware snark and heartfelt earnestness that encapsulates Wilder’s 1959 film of mismatched identity, gangster drama and musical remains. It remains just as humorous and subversive as it was 65 years ago. While the film has gotten a Criterion Collection release before, with this updated release it gets the coveted 4K treatment. Perhaps clichéd to say, and even if there’s a grain of imperfection in all things, Some Like It Hot comes pretty close to cinematic perfection.

Set in 1929’s Chicago, the film focuses on musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon). Curtis’ and Lemmon’s ‘fire and ice’ dynamic makes the film instantly watchable and endearing, as we see them remain present for each other and look out for one another despite life’s challenges and difficulties. The two face conflict when they witness the notorious gangster, Spats Colombo (George Raft) brutally murder an informant who betrayed them. Not wanting to be the next victims, Joe and Jerry leave Chicag. To add an extra layer of security, the two disguise as women, respectively becoming Josephine and Daphne. Finding safety in an all-women’s band, they make their way to Florida. There, they meet Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), a singer and ukulele player. The two compete for her attention while looking over their backs, ensuring they don’t blow their cover in pursuit of romance.

The draw will assuredly be the film’s 4K restoration; the quality we get here is the viewing experience to beat. The restoration is the same as the one in Kino Lorber’s 2022 4K UHD and the Criterion Collection’s 2018 Blu-ray release, but this is the most crisp presentation of this film out there. The film, being black and white, benefits from deeper visual details and a contrast between images that makes elements stand out more clearly. Take, for example, when we first meet Monroe’s Sugar in the throes of singing a song. She stands in contrast with the band around her, as if there’s a spotlight on her. She already sparkled and radiated effervescence on-screen; this version only amplifies those star-making qualities. The music of the film is just as important as the visuals, and thankfully, the audio quality and tracks here are pristine. The jazzy soundtrack and quotable lines are delivered with all the panache now as they were those decades ago.

In terms of bonus features, there’s nothing new that past owners of the other versions don’t already have, but it’s nice to have everything assembled in one place. There’s something for everybody with the extras. Take the audio commentary from film scholar Howard Suber, repurposed from Criterion’s 1989 release. It offers a more academic analysis of the film; Suber breaks down how Wilder’s humor works at both a superficial level, but contains layers of meaning. If you’d rather luxuriate in the colorful and bright world, there’s a documentary on fashion designer Orry-Kelly who speaks on the costumes. It’s exciting to have these options and different ways to engage with this film.

In his essay that accompanies the release, Sam Wesson eloquently pens “[Some LIke It Hot] … is about the Machiavellian lengths to which people will go to get what they want, which is never much nobler than money, sex, or self-preservation. Wilder was America’s id.”

It’s a theme like this that encapsulates why Wilder’s film has been so endearing; we deal with the same vices today, just in a different font, and what a gift it is to have a film like Some Like It Hot that can act as a blueprint to navigate these ancient angsts.

(www.criterion.com/films/29162-some-like-it-hot)