Some Like it Hot directed by Billy Wilder is a film that can be categorized as a screwball comedy; it is eccentric and ridiculous. The film's basis is one of fun-filled amusement with over the top stereotypes and witty dialogue. Screwball comedy is a sub-genre of comedy where eccentricity and lunacy are prevalent. These films are light-hearted and frothy, one where there is a focus on a battle of the sexes in which both co-protagonists try to outwit or outmaneuver each other (Liberfeld & Sanders). Two men dressed like women are trying to escape a fury-filled mob. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are both masquerading themselves - pretending to be something they aren't. Reversing sex roles, while also offering the audience the beautiful Monroe to gawk over, makes for a perfect recipe of humor and appeal. Some Like it Hot also offers a spoof-like mentality because of its usage of 1920's mobster film motifs. This was especially funny for audiences of this time, when gangster attitude was something to be ridiculed. It also supplemented the lack of masculinity that Lemmon and Curtis portrayed in the film. It played to their roles as cross-dressing men, inferior and feminine, while comically mocking their differences of manliness. Another way that the film plays to comical satire is by keeping the audience as much on their toes as Curtis and Lemmon are. We are experiencing these hysterical theatrics for the first time, along with the characters themselves. So, we are subsequently anxious and unfamiliar with the uncertainties of revelation. As Lieberfeld and Sanders puts it, "As spectators, we enjoy Joe (Curtis) walk the tightrope of pretense across the abyss of exospore." We are squirmiest and uncomfortable participating in this display of mockery, yet filled with delight and excitement. Monroe's over the top female character exudes sexiness, femininity, and flirtatious appeal. Her bosomy assets, hair, and costumes, again, play on the motif of distinctiveness of gender roles.
