Monkey Business (1952)

Monkey Business is a sort of late screwball comedy in which a scientist discovers a formula for returning people to their youth. The problem is that they become a little too youthful, and all hell breaks loose as a result. Directed by veteran Howard Hawks, co-authored by Ben Hecht, this is a funny if one joke film. Leading players Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers handle their parts capably, Charles Coburn is marvelous in a large (in all senses of that word) supporting role, and since it's a cliche to call Marilyn Monroe eye candy, I won't. Good fun all-round, the movie is in the end not as good as its thirties prototypes; some of the jokes go on for too long; and the repartee, such as the dialogue can be called, isn't as zingy as it might be. A good try, though, and intermittently hilarious.

Fmovies: The cast includes some of the top masters of screwball comedy and is directed by the man who made BRINGING UP BABY--and yet this is not the bright and witty farce it strains to be.

Ironically, it's MARILYN MONROE, in the film's smallest role as a dimwit secretary, who steals the spotlight from CARY GRANT, GINGER ROGERS and CHARLES COBURN whenever she pops up...which isn't often enough. Superstardom was just around the corner and this film is proof that Monroe had the kind of charisma that charms even when her dialog is not that funny.

CARY GRANT does well in most of his scenes but the Indian romp with the boys is too unbelievable even for this far-fetched comic spoof. At times, he seems almost detached from his role. Poor HUGH MARLOWE looks mighty uncomfortable as a victim of the "let's play Indian" stunt. So much so, that one can only picture him wishing he was back in ALL ABOUT EVE.

GINGER ROGERS has an irritating sequence where she and Cary revisit their honeymoon hotel with disastrous results when she goes into a crying jag over the mention of her mother's name. Ginger only perks up when imitating an even more youthful version of her "Major and the Minor" role--but she is given only brief moments to shine. Coburn plays his role effortlessly and is especially amusing when referring to his secretary's lack of skills. "Anyone can type", he says of Monroe as she wriggles away.

But true wit is missing for most of the film and the laughs come at the expense of the two main stars who show a surprising lack of chemistry when thrown together.

The formula just doesn't work here. Something went wrong and it shows.

The movie Monkey Business could have been pretty bad. I would say that it's saving grace is the fact that the people involved are all highly talented. Howard Hawks turns in some excellent direction per usual, although I'm sure he was only paying the bills. Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers are pitch perfect. Marilyn Monroe is essentially eye candy in this movie but she still steals every scene she is in, which unfortunately isn't very many.

The script was written by the highly respected Ben Hecht , Charles Lederer (of His Girl Friday fame) and I.A.L. Diamond (Some Like It Hot etc...). With so many excellent writers involved you know the script is going to be at least decent. Granted that a monkey discovering a potion for the fountain of youth is a pretty silly premise they managed to pull it off for the most part. The dialog is a bit awkward in places but overall very good and the script certainly got it's message across.

Cary Grant's performance makes this film. He perfectly embodies what a typical teenager and child of the age would be. Of course the scenes in which he takes the potion are the highlights of the film and he does an excellent job with them. He also has considerable chemistry with his female costars particularly Ginger Rogers (Who plays his wife).

Marilyn Monroe plays Grant's bosses slightly dim but wonderfully innocent secretary. Although she has limited screen time you cannot take your eyes off of her anytime she is in the shot. The sign of a great actress.

Overall a very charming film with a feel good message. 7/10

Monkey Business fmovies. I haven't seen this film for years,its very rarely on TV these days,which is a shame,i managed to get a copy on DVD,its always been one of the comedies I've wanted to own.The scene i always remembered best,was the one in which Cary Grant is playing cowboys and Indian's with the local children,and where Hank Entwhistle gets his just deserts,for being a smug playboy still trying to get Edwina.Ginger Rogers proved she could still dance and did a great comic turn,when she turns into a child.This film goes to show,that in them days they could make classic comedy without any foul language and without crudity,they didn't find any problem doing that.Marilyn Monroe provided the sexual interest in one of her more low key performances,and the plot only mildly focus on that,which is good.If you have never seen this film,and you like films from the early fifties,this is definitely worth a look.

Everyone worked hard to be funny, but Charles Coburn steals the show. It seems like all the writers tried to squeeze their lines into the picture and it suffocated as the result. The story was too thin to handle it. It wanted to be a screwball comedy but, no fault of the actor, it was screwed up.

If you like good solid wacky comedy, this is a strong bet. An utterly silly movie, it makes me smile just thinking about it--I've seen it probably a dozen times. Cary Grant really was in a class by himself, managing to do virtually every genre, even though he seems to have been typecast by movie history--here he plays a hopelessly stuffy absent minded professor, after drinking a youth serum of improbable origin, he immediately becomes a teen ager from the early fifties. Changing on a dime, the transformation is hilarious.

Ginger Rogers, always really engaging, isn't give a lot to do as an adult, but she excels when regressing into a juvenile.

One thing--for anyone who really likes Marilyn Monroe (and who doesn't), this is a must see. Not because it's her best part, or because she has a lot of screen time, it isn't and she doesn't. But since she made this movie really before she became famous, it's instructive: the part is just another ditzy bombshell secretary, but something about her just jumps off the screen. This seems to me to be a great example of how there's an ineffable unexplainable quality of "screen presence". She manages to hold her own with Cary Grant, not an easy task for anyone, let alone some yet to be discovered starlet.

Now that we're in a gross out downward spiral for comedies, this might be the best tonic--a movie that's very silly, and very funny.