| Release Date: 7 October 1959 (USA) Genre: Comedy, Romance IMDb Rating: 7.4 Director: Michael Gordon Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall |
Who misses the days of a simpler and old-school romance?
You know what I mean right? Back when a man could just be like… “I like her and I will have her” and by the end of the film, it all works out for him. They were simpler times…she didn’t even have to want it to happen but she will deal with it and like it. Yea…all joking aside, some classic rom-coms can be quite problematic.
Many films from the ’50s had this kind of storyline but only the best-of-the-best are still lauded today.
That is where Pillow Talk comes in.
If there are problematic elements to this 1959 rom-com, then why is it still appreciated so much?
That can be summed up in a singular word…charm. There are not a lot of acting duos that can quite capture the charm and chemistry quite like Rock Hudson and Doris Day. Rock Hudson is a towering mass of charm and sex appeal making him the ideal leading man for such an endeavor. Then you have Doris Day. She didn’t make the shortlist of the immortal lyrics of We Didn’t Start the Fire for nothing. Day is a wonderful delight. No matter what this film puts her through, she is committed to her performance and is quite irresistible. It is no wonder that Hudson would literally break her door down and snatch her from her sheets to carry her across town against her will (yeah…that happened). Even when they hate each other (because how else would a good rom-com start?), there is a certain level of chemistry between the two of them.
Having great chemistry between your leads is one thing but having a compelling story to get them together is essential. Does Pillow Talk give Hudson and Day one?
Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin’s script certainly delivers plenty of tension and twists to run them through. Rom-coms can be so cliched nowadays because we have seen so many different plots and storylines. Pillow Talk set the tone for quite a few of those tropes along the way. How many Hallmark or Netflix rom-coms start with two leads who just hate each other? Virtually all of them. These two have plenty of tension over their shared party line (I could explain what that is but it is just a plot device and not necessarily significant to appreciate the film). Throw in a case of mistaken identity as Hudson plays the tall drink-of-water from down south and you got yourself plenty of drama to throw around. But will she fall for the real Brad (Hudson’s philandering bachelor)? You will have to check it out to find out!
But how does the film handle these potentially problematic elements when it comes to the tone?
Well…just play them for laughs! Hudson can carry a surprisingly defenseless Day around New York City in her pajamas without a single person thinking anything is potentially wrong. But you know what…at least they all throw some nice jokes her way. Director Michael Gordon keeps the tone as light and airy as possible which makes this film fly by like a breeze. The film never once gets serious and always leans into the laughs. The film could have used some more editing where there were some gags that were just bad. A pregnant man? SO funny. Gordon does a fine job injecting some energy with some solid musical sequences, especially the opening credits which features quite a jam and all of the ornate pillows you could ever crave. The film is incredibly vibrant with the color palette (which is the most 50’s thing imaginable).
But do all of these fun and zany elements overcome the awkward moments and problematic plot points?
I guess that will really depend on you. Can you get past it to enjoy the silly fun time? If not, you will certainly cringe every few minutes.
But what if you just want to enjoy classic comedy and charm of the time? Pillow Talk is definitely the charmer.
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