"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" presents us with the showgirls and best friends Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell). There isn't much of a plotjust Lorelei and Dorothy taking a transatlantic voyage and running into trouble when Lorelei's love for diamonds gets her into a compromising situationbut that's enough to provide a framework for jokes and songs. Monroe is at her ditziest here, delivering all her lines with sincere, wide-eyed loopiness; Russell makes a nice contrast as the sardonic, practical Dorothy, so it's all the funnier when she imitates Monroe's cartoonish persona late in the movie.
The musical numbers are just an excuse for clever rhymes, sequined costumes, and shimmying choreography, and they succeed on all charges. Monroe and Russell duet on the jazzy "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" and the plaintive "When Love Goes Wrong" (a country/blues song sung at a Parisian café). The highlight, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is an over-the-top riot of Technicolor, diamonds, dancers, and Monroe's insinuating, breathy vocals, though the song is also fun when Russell kicks it up in a courtroom. Then there's the hilarious "Anybody Here For Love?" which Russell performs in front of a chorus of male bodybuilders in flesh-colored briefs.
What I love most about "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is that it's a female buddy movie. Of course, in one sense, it plays into sexist stereotypes--Lorelei is a gold-digging airhead and Dorothy flirts shamelessly with any handsome guy. But in another sense, it's pretty rare for Hollywood to depict two beautiful women as friends and equals, not rivals. Although gentlemen may prefer blondes, Dorothy is never jealous of Lorelei, and despite her cynical wisecracks, she deeply cares for her. The girls will always put their friendship before romance, and help each other out of a jam. Monroe and Russell sparkle together, but lack chemistry with their C-list male costars; in the end, you feel like these guys don't deserve two such vibrant women. Kind of ironic, then, that the movie's hit song claims "diamonds are a girl's best friend," when the rest of the movie celebrates the best-friendship between Lorelei and Dorothy.
The musical numbers are just an excuse for clever rhymes, sequined costumes, and shimmying choreography, and they succeed on all charges. Monroe and Russell duet on the jazzy "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" and the plaintive "When Love Goes Wrong" (a country/blues song sung at a Parisian café). The highlight, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is an over-the-top riot of Technicolor, diamonds, dancers, and Monroe's insinuating, breathy vocals, though the song is also fun when Russell kicks it up in a courtroom. Then there's the hilarious "Anybody Here For Love?" which Russell performs in front of a chorus of male bodybuilders in flesh-colored briefs.
What I love most about "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is that it's a female buddy movie. Of course, in one sense, it plays into sexist stereotypes--Lorelei is a gold-digging airhead and Dorothy flirts shamelessly with any handsome guy. But in another sense, it's pretty rare for Hollywood to depict two beautiful women as friends and equals, not rivals. Although gentlemen may prefer blondes, Dorothy is never jealous of Lorelei, and despite her cynical wisecracks, she deeply cares for her. The girls will always put their friendship before romance, and help each other out of a jam. Monroe and Russell sparkle together, but lack chemistry with their C-list male costars; in the end, you feel like these guys don't deserve two such vibrant women. Kind of ironic, then, that the movie's hit song claims "diamonds are a girl's best friend," when the rest of the movie celebrates the best-friendship between Lorelei and Dorothy.