Billy Wilder: Kiss Me Stupid (1964)

Source:The Daily Press

I gotta admit, the first twenty minutes of this movie is very slow. Just as slow as the small Nevada town that it takes place in. That the natives in this movie seem to want to escape. Except for the first few minutes of Dean Martin when he’s performing in Las Vegas and he’s doing his musical comedy routine. But Dino comes back into the movie as someone whose just passing through town on the way to Los Angeles. And his car gets stuck there, or that is what the mechanic tells him. And one of the locals just happens to be there to put him up for the night. I guess that is what they call small town hospitality.

Dean Martin and Kim Novak, really are the whole movie. At least the good watchable parts of it. Felicia Farr, looks great in it as well and also looks great in it. But the Ray Walston character, the jealous husband, but that is because he is way out of his league and over his head. Married to a women played by Felicia Farr, who looks like a Las Vegas showgirl or performer, living in the middle of nowhere. Between Smallville and Tinyville. Who married way down to a guy whose a wannabe songwriter who makes his living giving music lessons from his home. To the five people in town who want to learn music. Whose always worried about losing his gorgeous wife, because he’s not good enough for her.

Kim Novak, is her usual hot sexy baby girl adorable self. Only this time she plays a women who seems to know what she wants and where she’s going. Who has a healthy amount of self-esteem. During her career, she tended to play women who lacked self-confidence and never sure if they were good enough. Not that much different from the real-life Kim Novak. The video on this post pretty much lays out the plot and what it’s about. I’m not sure I can add anything to it without sounding repetitive. But all the characters except for the Felicia Farr character, who might be the only real person in the movie, want Dean Martin for something. Which is to make it big and leave their small town life.