Let's Make Love (1960)

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Norman Krasna (writer)
Hal Kanter (additional material)

Release Date:

8 September 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

MARILYN MONROE and YVES MONTAND the French entertainment sensation! doing what they do best in LET'S MAKE LOVE

Plot:

Billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue. He goes to the theatre...

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Imperative In Title | Elvis Impersonator | Blockbuster | Actress

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Marilyn Monroe	...	Amanda Dell
Yves Montand	...	Jean-Marc Clement / Alexander Dumas
Tony Randall	...	Alexander Coffman
Frankie Vaughan	...	Tony Danton
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	George Welch (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
David Burns	...	Oliver Burton
Michael David	...	Dave Kerry
Mara Lynn	...	Lily Nyles
Dennis King Jr.	...	Abe Miller
Joe Besser	...	Charlie Lamont

Also Known As:

The Billionaire
The Millionaire

Runtime:

119 min | Germany:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic | French | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #19576) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Company of Artists, The

Trivia:

Arthur Miller revised the script so that more emphasis was given to his wife, Marilyn Monroe. Gregory Peck, originally cast opposite Monroe, left the project, unhappy about the way his role had been diminished. He said the script was "now about as funny as pushing grandma down the stairs in a wheelchair." In addition he did not want to work with Monroe after hearing about her reputation for being late every day.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Amanda jogs out of theater, she passes same stores twice.

Quotes:

Jean-Marc Clement: You must be pretty tired. How many times did you go through that dance today?
Amanda Dell: Oh, I lost count. Matter of fact, sometimes I even trot home afterwards. You sleep better. You ever trot?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Calendar Girl (1993)

Soundtrack:

LET'S MAKE LOVE

...but is it really that bad?

Released in 1960 after Marilyn's super turn in the fantastic 'Some Like It Hot', LML has often been cited as Monroe's worst movie.

There is plenty to work against the film: Cukor's almost non-existent direction, the rather dreadful musical numbers, Yves Montand's irritating performance and the wasted opportunities of the star cameos.

However, Let's Make Love is a reasonably inoffensive way to waste an afternoon. The plot is slight and therefore doesn't require too much brain power to follow and Monroe is, as usual, cinema gold. Despite the fact that she is slightly overweight here and nothing much has been done with her in terms of make-up, hair or wardrobe she is eminently watchable. She gives a convincing, assured performance in her role turning the simple character of Amanda into a sweet, likable woman.

As I have mentioned before in Monroe reviews, I always find it interesting to see Monroe in films in the 1960s, being very much an icon of the 1950s.

So, is LML really that bad? Well, to be honest no, it isn't. It's lightweight fluff that doesn't really mean anything but is watchable non the less. It is unfortunately placed between the sublime 'Some Like It Hot' and Monroe's bravura performance in the following year's 'The Misfits' but don't hold that against it. Make up your own minds!