Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20159 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-05-14
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian
• Running time: 119 minutes

Amazon.com
A curious picture in many ways: Marilyn Monroe was the superstar, Yves Montand new to Hollywood, but she seems peripheral to the action and he's in almost every scene. Meanwhile, director George Cukor, always happy with theatrical material, can't make the off-off-Broadway milieu come to believable life. In short, Let's Make Love lacks the sparkle promised by its talent roster, and for Monroe especially the bloom is off the rose. This 1960 film was her next to last, and she appears weary, although isolated moments have the old oomph (and she has a terrific romp through her first number, Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"). Cameos by Milton Berle, Bing Crosby, and Gene Kelly increase the time-capsule feeling. The biggest failing is the lack of chemistry between Monroe and Montand, yet offscreen they had a romance during filming. A curious picture indeed. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

lukewarm--as far as it goes, that is... (three and one-half stars)
Let's Make Love is, sadly, not one of Marilyn Monroe's better films. I feel bad about it because apparently this film was essentially a contractual obligation and Yves Montand doesn't even look right for her onscreen--I find it hard to picture the off-screen... oh, oh, well.

Anyway, the action begins when the French billionaire Jean-Marc Clement (Yves Montand) finds out his life and playboy scandals are being publicly spoofed in an off-Broadway play. Upset about the possibility of negative press, Jean-Marc hurries down to the theater with his main PR man Alexander Coffman (Tony Randall). Naturally, he does find out he IS being made fun of--but his worries are sidetracked when he lays his eyes on Amanda Dell (Monroe), the female lead in the show.

Jean-Marc and his associates set things up so that he can masquerade as an actor to be closer to Amanda; and as time goes by Jean-Marc forgets about his reputation being slandered. He only wants Amanda for his wife. Of course, the fact that Amanda is involved with another actor named Tony (Frankie Vaughan) doesn't help much.

Look for some wonderful songs by Frankie Vaughan; and Marilyn at least scores one big one with her song and dance classic number, "My Heart Belongs To Daddy." It's not that she looks tired in this film; it's that she's grossly underused. That surprises me because George Cukor, the director, was particularly well known for bringing out the best acting from his leading ladies during production.

After several silly plot twists, Jean-Marc realizes he's got to hire some professionals to help him get Amanda's attention. We therefore get some wonderful cameos by Milton Berle, Bing Crosby and Gene Kelly. They do a wonderful job although Milton Berle wasn't as funny as I hoped he would be.

Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere. Will Jean-Marc ever disclose his true identity to Amanda--and how will she react when she knows he's been a faker all this time? How will Tony handle it if Amanda leaves him for Jean-Marc? Watch the movie and find out--I don't give plot spoilers!

The DVD has a couple of interesting but very brief comparisons between what the film looked like pre-restoration and after restoration; but that's about it. Sigh.

Overall, Let's Make Love is a tepid motion picture to be saved for when there's nothing good on television and you want to see a Marilyn Monroe movie. The acting is only fair; in fact Montand looks more weathered than Marilyn! It's a good movie; but nothing that you should go too far out of your way to see. Sorry, guys.

Love it!
Marilyn Monroe is my favorite actress of all time, and this is one of my favorite Marilyn Movies. And it has some really wonderful songs, like "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "Specialization", "Let's Make Love," and "Incurably Romantic". Not to mention all the guest stars! I thought the performances of all the actors involved was great. Marilyn, as always, absolutely shines, and Yves Montand is very entertaining in the role of Jean Marc Clement. I'd recommend this movie to anyone.

Save it for a rainy day...
There are two types of movies, #1: the kind you have high expectations of and go rent it or see it in theaters or rent etc. etc.; & #2: the kind you come across one day and go "What's this?" and watch it.
"Let's make love" was fit for #2 (which is how I first saw it,) yet has follen a victim to #1.

I had first seen "Let's make love" on TV and found it rather entertaining and found the characters likable, maybe even lovable. I could relate to Clement (not for having all that money but) his feeling for the Monroe character. The scene where I could most relate to him is when the cast of the musical is notified that the musical doesn't have to worry about money anymore, with that Monroe gives a BIG graciouse hug to her friend Toney (NOT Clement [Yves Montand]) the look on Clement's face is a pretty anguished one.

Others don't like this film because of the supporting role Marilyn has, it's rather arguable if her role was a supporting one or not. Yet if this is a supporting role for her it shouldn't really be a bad thing, let's face it, Monroe's best film's have her in (do I dare say it:) supporting rules, such as "The Seven Year Itche," there is only four major segments of the film she is in (five at the most), and in "Some Like it Hot," the audiance has to wait a lenthy thirty minutes (the waiting is made easier by a chaming Toney Curtis & Jack Lemon) until we see Marilyn. It's not to bad though, after all, absence does make the heart grow fonder.