Let's Make Love (1960)

"Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love" sounds like a tantalizing prospect, but the end result is unfortunately an only so-so semi-musical, despite some solid work from Monroe. Co-star Yves Montand is frequently blamed for the film's lack of sizzle, and he certainly is part of the problem. Montand is bland at best, his supposed Gallic charm just not surviving the translation from French to English. Away from a chanson, his singing voice comes across as wan and dry, and his acting is by-the-numbers; beware of the section in which he demonstrates what Milton Berle has taught him in the way of comedy. But Montand is not entirely to blame. The screenplay lacks sparkle, and its premise is absurd and artificial. The latter wouldn't be a problem if director George Cukor were operating in top form; with the proper hand, absurd and artificial can become charming and diverting. But Cukor can't get a grip on the right tone, and the movie never really finds its footing. And while the songs are arranged in an entertaining late 1950s fashion, the songs themselves ("My Heart Belongs to Daddy" excepted) are undistinguished. Fortunately, Jack Cole's distinctive choreography brightens the numbers up, and Monroe is in fine musical form (even if Frankie Vaughan, with whom she shares most of the numbers, is not.) It's not one of Monroe's great performances, but she keeps the ship afloat, helped by a nicely underplayed Tony Randall and a dependable Wilfrid Hyde-White. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide