How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) is a Comedy/Drama/Romance film starring Marilyn Monroe as Pola Debevoise, Betty Garble as Loco Dempsey, and Lauren Bacall as Schatze Page. It begins with Schatze Page in her new apartment that she will be sharing with the other two girls. They decide to go on a search to marry a millionaire, as the movie suggests, and find love in the process. The sets, costumes, and acting is excellent.The set designs are elegant and lovely. The apartment has a nice brick wall outside with a table set up for drinking, mostly, of course. The New York scenery in the background is perfect and may make you wish that was the view from your living room. The walls are light purple will large paintings, golden candles, white chairs, and the piano is golden with engraved designs around it making it the perfect 1950s bachelorette pad.While on their search, the girls are dressed to impress. Loco's blonde and braided up-do is stunning with her all pink sparkly dress and matching clutch, and long earrings. Schatze is wearing a loose green dress with dark brown fur at the top and stunning pearl bracelets. Marilyn's platinum blonde hair is styled into a gorgeous bob. Her dress is dark pink with a diagonal strap covered in sparkles and it is paired with her signature red lips and a dark pink sparkling clutch. There are many costume changes throughout the film and they are all stunning.The acting is great. Marilyn is sweet and she has a soft voice which is nice to listen to and she draws attention with her appearance and performance as well. The other two stars are stunning as well. Lauren Bacall is sophisticated and serious about her addiction to shopping. Betty is great at portraying her character Loco as a spoiled girl who knows how to play with an manipulate others.I would recommend this film to anyone who likes old movies or movies about materialistic women. If you enjoyed Breakfast at Tiffany's or Gentlemen Like Blondes because of the lead actresses and their characters than you should definitely watch this 90-minute film.This film is spectacular and the ending is superb. It has funny moments, romantic moments, and sad moments as well. The twists and turns of the film are both well performed and well written. The directors and editors all put a lot of work into this film and did an excellent job creating a timeless film with perfect costumes and design sets and great acting. The only reason that I didn't give this film a 10 is that there are a few unfunny and boring moments, but for the most part it is a solid comedy. It also goes over the theme of materialism and whether or not money equals happiness.

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE is an easy, fun, and unfortunately the average comedy. Three Cinderella want to find my happiness in life by marrying a rich man. Three poor models for rent a luxury New York apartment to be presented as part of the high society and also tried to "catch" potential rich husbands. This well-known cliché is a very fun way caricatured, the main female characters it seriously and with one hundred percent commitment approach, and their male candidates, each in their own way accept their game.The director has tried to divert attention from the average of the story so that it is further enriched scenery. I think that to some extent he succeeded. Betty Grable as Loco Dempsey was the most fun of the three ladies, and probably had the most success. She found a young and fair forest workers. Lauren Bacall as Schatze Page is brain surgery, the smartest part of the team. Cold and a bit cheeky. Determined in its intention and eventually was awarded. Marilyn Monroe as Pola Debevoise is the complete opposite of everything in this film. The young lady who knows what she wants, but she can not find her way. There is of course humorous blindness. It is logical to find a soul mate. Paola is not stupid, she's just ... charming and so hot.I have not enjoyed it, but I'm a big fan of the two ladies in this movie. William Powell is still a charmer.

Sometimes I'll watch a film like this and wonder if it would or could be made today. I saw this one on Turner Classics as one of the essentials, with host Robert Osborne and guest Drew Barrymore lending their comments on the picture. It was almost comical listening to Barrymore try to walk a fine line between enjoying the story and being careful not to antagonize her feminist side over the theme of gold digging women on the prowl to snag a rich husband. I wonder if she caught any grief over that one from Cameron Diaz.Like so many of these early to mid Fifties flicks, I find myself on the fence regarding their appeal. For me the story was so-so, largely predictable, and even though billed as a comedy, I didn't find myself in on the joke for the most part. Marilyn Monroe's eyesight gimmick was tiresome and didn't come across very believably, and Lauren Bacall, only a decade since debuting in "To Have and Have Not", seemed to be older than her real age of twenty nine. Betty Grable was obviously ready to pass the baton to her co-star Monroe as filmdom's next glamor queen. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I didn't detect the camaraderie among this trio and that took something out of it for this viewer.There was one good line though for this Bogart fan. I got the biggest kick out of Bacall's comment about the African Queen guy. Grable got one in on Harry James too, so that was all cleverly done. Over all I'm satisfied I got to catch this one since it's one of the early Fifties standards that everyone should catch, but now that I've done it I'll be happy to move on.

Mrs Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall) is a snooty high class divorcée who gets a beautiful flat. She proposes to use the apartment to hunt for millionaires. Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) is a girl who rather run into walls than wear her glasses. Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable) can get men to buy her lots of things. The problem is that it's harder to find truly rich men who are good men. Tom Brookman is actually a rich guy who likes Schatze but she assumes that he's a poor slob. She's dating JD who thinks he's too old for her. Loco is dating a married man. Pola is dating a sketchy guy with an eye patch.Monroe is actually very funny bumping into things. That gag of her refusing to wear her glasses is quite funny and has real legs. She's probably the funniest of the three. There are a couple of cute references. Bacall references Bogie and Monroe gets diamonds. Bacall is the snooty girl and that works fine for her. Monroe and Grable are basically playing the same dumb blonde character. However Grable is outclassed by Monroe. Nobody can play that character as well as Monroe. Monroe is funny. Bacall is pretty good. She's got a fun line. Grable is a bore. Basically it's a somewhat fun comedy.