Bus Stop
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Movie Reviews of Bus Stop
Movie Review: Marilyn Monroe's magic makes this film work. She sure was something special!
Summary: 4 Stars
There's one wonderful thing about this 1956 film. It's Marilyn Monroe. I have forgotten how special she was and how she dominated every scene she was in. This was one of her lesser films. And yet, her magic is there.
The plot is a bit hokey but it works. Don Murray is cast as an innocent cowboy without any experience with women. When he leaves Montana to compete in a rodeo, he meets Marilyn Monroe. She's singing in a bar and has obviously had a shady past. This doesn't matter to him, though. He falls in love with her. And, much to the distress of his sidekick, brilliantly played by Arthur O'Connell, he kidnaps his lady love and puts her on the bus with him going back to Montana. She protests of course. And when the bus is stranded in a snowstorm and everyone must spend the night in a roadside diner, the plot thickens. It all ends happily, though. And it looks like Marilyn and Don will live happily ever after.
There is nothing special about this film except for the nostalgia. The screenplay is old fashioned and stilted. The situations are predicable. Also, once the theme was developed, we didn't need a dozen ways to develop it. That said, I must say I enjoyed the film. I had almost forgotten what 1956 was like. Now I remember.
Movie Review: Ersatz snow
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite the efforts of the writer, director, and producer, this movie never shucks the feeling that it is a one set stage play dressed up a little. The story is OK but not very convincing. No one could possibly be as naive as Beau, who sees a half-clad bleached blond untalented singer in a sleazy bar and thinks she is a virginal angel. Not even in 1956.
Don Murray is a little over the top, which works in a farce but not a comedy. There's a difference. But Marilyn Monroe is excellent as Cherie, and I'm no great fan of Miss M. The rest of the cast is sufficient, although I don't know why some of them were included at all, except to fill up bus seats. Still, this isn't a bad comedy romance.
Great it isn't.
Finally there is that movie snow, flakes that looks suspiciously like Rinso or maybe Duz. It doesn't melt on clothes when the people come into the warm cafe. It doesn't track in either, or soak shoes, or turn damp on faces. I see that parts of the movie were made in Idaho. Do they have different snow there?
Movie Review: Marilyn Is The Best, But...
Summary: 4 Stars
I want to start by saying that I absolutely love Marilyn Monroe and she did an excellent job in this movie as in all her movies. I had to give it 4 stars just because she's in it. However, Don Murray, who plays the male lead, in my opinion, ruined it. He is so corny and often downright annoying. He overacts the part and is very unrealistic. I mean, sure he's a cowboy, but a cowboy can be manly and romantic. He is neither. But if you can get past that, the movie is amusing and Marilyn shines. I enjoyed watching it just because it's funny to see her using a hillbilly accent. She actually does it pretty well. If you're a Marilyn fan you will probably enjoy this and want to add it to your collection. Otherwise it may be a little too corny for you. I personally plan to buy it to add to my collection. It is nice that it is coming out on DVD since it is very hard to get on video anymore.Movie Review: Marilyn's best as the luminous Cherie
Summary: 4 Stars
Long out of print (and undeservedly so), "Bus Stop" returns to the video scene and just in time for the current DVD frenzy. Monroe is heartbreaking as kitchy chanteuse, Cherie, who's hijacked by a love-struck young buck played by Don Murray. When Cherie performs "That Old Black Magic", she's her own floor-show in more ways than one. Marilyn gives a nuanced romantic and comedic performance. Her sex appeal is, as always, unstoppable. But it's Cherie's heart (and Marilyn's) that seems stripped bare -- particulary in the key scene at the bus stop diner when the camera pulls in for an extreme closeup of Murray and Marilyn. Anyone who can sustain that kind of luminous vulnerability under such intense focus is truly a screen legend.Movie Review: There's no question that Marilyn Monroe was a great character actress.
Summary: 4 Stars
Her performance in Bus Stop is a great example of character acting. She managed to be more beautiful than she actually was and used the grating quality of the Arkansas accent to accentuate her emotional distress and confusion. I think she made herself less attractive in this movie with off color foundation and powder compared to the fresh faced maquillage of co-star Hope Lange. I can't wait to introduce my kids to Marilyn Monroe's movies because she's just so talented and intelligent in her portrayal of singleminded would-be courtesans. Watching Bus Stop is like watching a Broadway play with very seasoned talented actors.