If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fantastic!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I'll say up front this film was fascinating to me for its cast, and what seemed to be an improbable pairing of Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Grable, as well as including William Powell in his second-to-last film. The subject, three gold diggers who are out to marry rich men, takes some time to warm up to, as between Bacall's hard conniving and Monroe's dizziness, there is not an awful lot to like early on. However, it grew on me. There is a playfulness in the dialogue and I liked expressions like "sounds creamy to me" as well as the references to Bacall's real-life relationship to that "that old fella what's his name in The African Queen", and Grable's real-life husband Harry James, whose music she can't recognize in the film. Monroe plays her part very well, blending sweetness and seduction as only she could, and aside from seeing her in a bathing suit as part of a modeling show, the shot that captures her image in five mirrors in a washroom is fantastic. There is such a nice sense of fashion in the film, and I loved Grable in a purple dress towards the end. Powell at age 61 is smooth, sophisticated, and stoic, and a joy to watch. I'm not so sure about Bacall, who isn't as strong comedically and less endearing, but overall, it's a strong cast with obviously lots of star power.Director Jean Negulesco tells the story well, sometimes simply informing of us events on one of the three story lines instead of showing them, which keep things moving and is effective. (On the other hand, it was a little tedious at the beginning, as things only get going after an interminably long orchestra piece). He also gives us some nice shots of New York and the snow in "Maine" (apparently actually Sun Valley, Idaho). I doubt the film will blow you away or anything, as it's predictable and light, but it's also entertaining.

How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) is a Comedy/Drama/Romance film starring Marilyn Monroe as Pola Debevoise, Betty Garble as Loco Dempsey, and Lauren Bacall as Schatze Page. It begins with Schatze Page in her new apartment that she will be sharing with the other two girls. They decide to go on a search to marry a millionaire, as the movie suggests, and find love in the process. The sets, costumes, and acting is excellent.The set designs are elegant and lovely. The apartment has a nice brick wall outside with a table set up for drinking, mostly, of course. The New York scenery in the background is perfect and may make you wish that was the view from your living room. The walls are light purple will large paintings, golden candles, white chairs, and the piano is golden with engraved designs around it making it the perfect 1950s bachelorette pad.While on their search, the girls are dressed to impress. Loco's blonde and braided up-do is stunning with her all pink sparkly dress and matching clutch, and long earrings. Schatze is wearing a loose green dress with dark brown fur at the top and stunning pearl bracelets. Marilyn's platinum blonde hair is styled into a gorgeous bob. Her dress is dark pink with a diagonal strap covered in sparkles and it is paired with her signature red lips and a dark pink sparkling clutch. There are many costume changes throughout the film and they are all stunning.The acting is great. Marilyn is sweet and she has a soft voice which is nice to listen to and she draws attention with her appearance and performance as well. The other two stars are stunning as well. Lauren Bacall is sophisticated and serious about her addiction to shopping. Betty is great at portraying her character Loco as a spoiled girl who knows how to play with an manipulate others.I would recommend this film to anyone who likes old movies or movies about materialistic women. If you enjoyed Breakfast at Tiffany's or Gentlemen Like Blondes because of the lead actresses and their characters than you should definitely watch this 90-minute film.This film is spectacular and the ending is superb. It has funny moments, romantic moments, and sad moments as well. The twists and turns of the film are both well performed and well written. The directors and editors all put a lot of work into this film and did an excellent job creating a timeless film with perfect costumes and design sets and great acting. The only reason that I didn't give this film a 10 is that there are a few unfunny and boring moments, but for the most part it is a solid comedy. It also goes over the theme of materialism and whether or not money equals happiness.

Well what do you say about an obvious vehicle to showcase a select group of stars who are stuck with one of Nunnally Johnson's worst scripts? You talk about the cinematography, that's what! I'll let others discuss the storyline and failings of this celluloid crapper.Joe MacDonald's camera-work is glorious, and could be in fact the best part of the film.The shots of New York City are especially memorable.But other settings in the film are equally as good.This is a great example of the relatively new process (at that time) of Cinemascope.It is worth putting the mute on and just watching the scenery (besides Marilyn, Betty and Lauren) go by.

Whew! A cast full of the finest talent and yet this movie is so tedious it is hard to slog through! The vacuous premise of the film is partly to blame - the idea of three women seeking men solely for their money is deeply offensive to say the least although this is a sin society tends to allow them. This idea, however, could have worked in a comedy - and this purportedly was a comedy. But it was such a snoozer it did not come across as funny in any way shape or form. It just came away as a B or C movie about worthless and shallow women. Strange that Robert Osborne, the esteemed movie expert and historian, liked this film and felt Lauren Bacall stole the film. She wore a perennial scowl (one that made her look ugly, if you can imagine that!) and was the most unlikeable of all the characters - constantly telling the man she eventually settles down with, "I never want to see you again!" That, I guess, was meant to be funny, but it only came across as cold. William Powell, with a minor role, is his endearing self but is handicapped by an unimaginative script that relegates him to an almost irrelevant character. What a waste of talent! Marilyn Monroe arguably is the only one who still manages to shine on some level, putting on a comic performance that displays her comedic talents at their best...yet even that effort falls short because the movie sucks the oxygen out of every scene it's so dull. Nothing is believable so when these unsympathetic characters manage to marry by movie's end, you could care less. There's certainly no reason to celebrate. These marriages seem motivated only by shallow desires and intentions. Therefore one almost cringes at the end, out of embarrassment for the great actors whose presence was wasted in this poor excuse for a film. Really, in retrospect, it appears to have been more a vehicle to show off three hot babes and sell tickets on their sex appeal than anything else. And so if you're a huge Marilyn fan - and possibly even a Betty Grable fan - you might enjoy this, for her attractiveness and sparks of true acting talent. Grable still looks good in her late '30s and so big fans of hers might also want to see this film on that one level - the level of curiosity and fandom, not of the true movie connoisseur. Oh - and David Wayne fans will like his comic vignettes. He also manages to survive the film unscathed, like Marilyn. The only laugh in this film, by the way, is actually pretty funny. (It's a throwaway line by Bacall about her real-life husband Humphrey Bogart (who fortunately wasn't in this train wreck of a film), which I won't spoil here.)