Bus Stop

If you like young men with the social skills of a five year old, and young women with low self esteem, watch this film. The only relief is when the bus driver beats the cowboy up to stop him from pestering the poor young woman any further.

There are some comic moments in the film, but it's too frustrating watching Monroe's character treated like an animal. This is not the mood of the 1990s.

If you want to enjoy Marilyn Monroe, watch "Some Like It Hot". At least her character in that film has self-respect, even if she's no more than a likeable bimbo.

The movie is based on a play that I haven't read so maybe I'm missing some of the subtext but as pure entertainment I wouldn't recommend this movie. The characters aren't well-defined and are little more than stereotypes, e.g. Grace, the sassy diner waitress, Cherie, the showgirl with a heart of gold. Marilyn Monroe plays the same type of character that she more or less played for her entire career, but she does it very well; she and Hope Lange provide the only good performances. Don Murray's unsophisticated cowboy was so obnoxious he practically ruined any enjoyment to be had from the movie. The supporting players are decent but that's all. It's a shame, this movie could have been pretty good if they had made one or two different casting decisions.

To the naysayers I say "you missed it" but I guess people either like MM or they do not. I was braced for the 50s-style corn, but not for the underlying sadness of Cherie, as rendered by Monroe, and in the end feel she did an incredibly good job with the role--not a false note anywhere.

An extra star (or two) for that very special performance.

As much as it pains me to criticise Marilyn, I must say that her performance in Bus Stop was an embarrassment. Her quasi-Southern accent is like nails on a chalkboard, sounding more like a speech impediment than any accent. The love story is totally unconvincing. Beau, the simpleminded cowboy, treats Cherie (Marilyn) like nothing more than cattle to the very end, yet she still falls for him. However, it is Marilyn, and she comes across as sweet & lovely as she ever has. It's a must-have for Marilyn fans simply because she tries so hard in this film (even if she does fail miserably), but if you want to see Marilyn in a very different role than the dizzy blonde we all know her as, rent "Niagra" or "Don't Bother To Knock". She did have talent, contrary to what her detractors will have you believe, but don't rent Bus Stop expecting to find any evidence of it.

Bus Stop has been rightly hailed as Marilyn Monroe's breakthrough performance in a movie as a serious dramatic actress. She is absolutely superb here, ditching the breathless dumb blonde of earlier roles and playing a hardened, Southern chanteuse in search of true love. She manages to convey a whole range of emotions which is testament to her time spent at Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio in New York. As usual she sparkles and it's difficult to take your eyes off her, but there is a depth and sympathy to her playing that makes you take note of the performance and not simply the curves.

However, Bus Stop is a relatively simple picture of unrequited then requited love. The comedy moments don't often work that well and Don Murray's Beau has to be one of the most irritating characters I have ever seen in a film. Him and Cherie coming together at the end of the picture is unbelievable and spoiled the movie for me...I always wanted her to get away!

Bus Stop is more enjoyable from the Monroe point of view as her playing is spellbinding and marked a turning point in her career.