The Seven Year Itch  Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
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74 out of 107 people found the following review useful:
So...?  What's not to like?
15 December 2004
Forget today's sex symbols...Marilyn is IT.
If Kate Moss moved into the flat above mine while my wife was out of town with the kids, I'd have no trouble resisting temptation; but, Marilyn Monroe is a force of nature. She's a fertility goddess. She is pure hourglass with a dynamite smile. In short, she is pure concentrated femininity.
This movie is a comedy, and a good one at that. The timing of Monroe and Ewell is flawless. The scene where he jumps Marilyn on the piano bench in a brief moment of passion causing them both to fall to the floor gives this brief exchange...
"I'm sorry", Ewell says, "This has never happened to me before"
Marilyn answers, while standing up and adjust her clothes, "That's funny. It happens to me all the time"...
Priceless...
The exchange between Ewell and a psychiatrist is equally well-done. The movie is a classic. It is Jack Lemmon's The Apartment, done with an attractive woman and a man who, although not in full possession of his marbles, certainly is better adjusted than Lemmon's character.
This is a must see...
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46 out of 69 people found the following review useful:
A Fabulously Funny, Fast-Paced Sex Farce From The Fifties...It's "Just Elegant!"
from ilion, New York
15 July 1999
The 1955 comedy, "The Seven Year Itch," directed by Billy Wilder, is one of the most amusing sex farces ever filmed. Starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe, and based on George Axelrod's play, the film takes a humorous look at the problems of a typical middle-aged married man. Tom Ewell, and unassuming leading man with a flair and talent for comedy, is perfectly cast in this movie. Ewell plays the part of Richard Sherman, an average middled-aged man of the 50's...office worker, city inhabitant, with a loving wife and one son. He is left alone in the city for the entire summer while his family vacations in Maine. All is well until Mr. Sherman meets the beautiful blonde who rents the apartment above his for the summer. They soon get to know each other and become friends over champagne, potato chips, and a Rachmaninoff record. Their friendship causes Mr. Sherman to worry that his wife will find out about his relationship with the blonde bombshell. With his overactive imagination, Mr. Sherman dreams up numerous situations concerning this young woman, as well as his wife. Although his imagination causes Mr. Sherman much worry, it provides many of the film's most memorable and enjoyable scenes. Of course, the film is famous for the scene of Monroe standing over the subway grate, which has always been a classic movie scene. Monroe, although unnamed in the film, gives one of her best screen performances, which is "just elegant," as she says throughout the movie. She displays a talent for comedy as well as beauty, which should not be overlooked. Ewell's portrayal of Richard Sherman is delightful, hilarious, and perfect. His facial expressions and comedic timing contribute to the film's enjoyability. Along with these stars, the supporting cast is excellent as well. It includes such character actors as Robert Strauss (Mr. Kruhulik, the janitor), and Donald MacBride (Mr. Brady, Richard Sherman's boss). "The Seven Year Itch" is one of the ultimate 50's pop culture films. And since it was filmed in Cinemascope, it would be perfect to see on the big screen. Any fan of Monroe, Wilder, old movies, or 50's culture would enjoy this movie; I strongly recommend it. The comedy, timing, acting, and direction are flawless...and they all help to make "The Seven Year Itch" "just elegant!"
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44 out of 66 people found the following review useful:
Marilyn at her most innocent
from Boston, MA
6 September 2002
In Some Like it Hot, Marilyn was the hottest she ever was. In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she's the Woman of all Women. But in The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn is the prize of all treasures. She is timeless in every frame of the film. Coming across as this unique, cute, and innocent little woman, Marilyn makes your mind race, your heart thump, and your youth return.
No one else but Marilyn Monroe could play "The Girl" in the movie. She is just that, a girl, but much much more. Most of the physical comedy in the film is executed by Monroe herself. A lot of us don't realize this as we expect most of the comedy to come from the comedian in the film, Tom Ewell. A must see if you are a fan of America's first Dream Girl, the amazing Marilyn Monroe.
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50 out of 82 people found the following review useful:
sparkling but a bit confusing!
from United Kingdom
13 May 2004
The film succeeds mainly because of Marilyn Monroe's obvious charisma and appeal - she really shines in this as the dizzy, curvy blonde upstairs.  Tom Ewell has been married seven years and has seen his wife and son away for the summer - he determines not to smoke, not to drink, and not to chase women.  The moment Monroe wiggles up those stairs all that goes out of the window and he starts fantasising about the new arrival.
There are a lot of funny situations and you're never quite sure what it in Ewell's head and what is real (well, I wasn't anyway).  I love the scene where they are playing Chopsticks and of course, that old chestnut the 2nd Rach concerto rears its head!  Victor Moore plays a doddery plumber and Oscar Homolka a shrink who advises Ewell not to consider anything as drastic as murder until he can get simple problems sorted out, while Evelyn Keyes makes the most of her few appearances as Ewell's wife (or is she his conscience?!).
The film is fun, the famous skirt and grid scene is now legendary (but quite unlike the often-seen poster shot), and there is much in this bouncy production after nearly fifty years to entertain pretty much anyone.
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24 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
Naive and Innocent in the Present Days, Tested the Limit of Censorship in the 50's
from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
23 October 2006
In summertime in Manhattan, the plain and average Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) sends his wife and son for vacation in the country. Sherman is the key man of a publishing firm, Brady & Company, which publishes cheap pocket books. The faithful Sherman has a routine life with his family and dreams on being successful with women. When a beautiful and sexy blonde lodges the upstairs apartment of his small building, Sherman first opens the front door for her and then he invites her to have a drink with him after the fall of her tomato vase on his chair on the backyard. Along the days, he spends some time with the girl and feels tempted by her, but later he misses his family and travels to meet them.
"The Seven Year Itch" is a naive and innocent romantic comedy in accordance with the contemporary moral standards, but actually this feature tested the limits of censorship in a time when Hollywood was ruled by a rigid moral code. The story is based on a George Axelrod popular 1952 Broadway play about a man that has an affair with his upstairs neighbor. Unfortunately in the 50's, the American cinema did not have the same artistic freedom as theater. The screenplays and movies were submitted to the scrutiny of the powerful Hayes office, the censorship of Hollywood. There was a Production Code in Hollywood that stated that adultery should not be the subject of comedy or laughs, and this story violated the Code. Billy Wilder was fascinated by this story and purchased the rights of George Axelrod. However, to make the movie was a challenge for this great director, since many scenes and lines were ripped away by the censorship and by the National Legion of Decency, mutilating the plot.
Marilyn Monroe was selected to the cast, but Billy Wilder wanted a plain, average and non-handsome actor for the role of Sherman. His first choice was Walter Matthaus, but Fox direction did not want to take the risk of an unknown lead actor, therefore they selected Tom Ewell. The most famous scene of Marilyn Monroe, with her dress being lifted by the air of the subway, was first an exterior scene, but later Billy Wilder needed to shot again in the set because the noise and whistles of the viewers spoiled the original footage. This external scene also provoked the end of the marriage of Marilyn with Joe Dimaggio, who felt humiliated with the manifestation of the public.
One dialog that I particularly like is when Sherman and the blonde leave the movie theater and she says that the creature needed to be loved, in an analogy between Sherman and the creature of the black lagoon. The restored DVD is fantastic and this is the most sexually suggested role of Marilyn Monroe to date. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Pecado Mora ao Lado" ("The Sin Lives on the Next Door")
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26 out of 37 people found the following review useful:
One of my new favorite romantic comedies
from Chicago, Illinois
15 September 2006
Lately, I have been really been getting into the classics, not to mention some new favorite actors. I always had wondered what the Marilyn Monroe movies were like. Because I always did love her in Some Like it Hot. She's not like today's actresses, she's not a stick, she looks so cute and like she has fun on screen. Not to mention she was a very beautiful actress.
The Seven Year Itch is a great romantic comedy where a man has sent his wife and son into the country while he works on his business over the summer. But after 7 years of marriage, he meets the new house sitter, played by Marilyn, and falls completely for her, causing a 7 year itch. He has also a wild imagination and just let's it go with him thinking he'll get caught, what if his wife is cheating on him, or what his life would be like if he was with Marilyn instead of his wife.
This is a very charming and lovable romantic comedy and will remain with that timeless image of Marilyn's white dress blowing up in the air. She's so adorable and anyone can easily become a fan of her's when they see this movie. It's a fun movie to watch and I highly recommend it.
10/10
from United Kingdom
6 May 2005
This is a decent comedy and I enjoyed it on the whole. I'll be honest and say and the only real reason and I took an interested in the film and watched it is Marilyn Monroe. I've been trying to watch as many as her films as possible lately, ever since a study of Photography at college found me researching the icon of the silver screen. The good news is for me is that there was plenty of Marilyn to enjoy in this classic comedy. I was pleased to find that she is supported by a good cast and a very funny script, and the film on the whole is a real winner. There were several laugh out loud moments for me, and considering my young age and the fact this is a film from the 1950's I would say that's something pretty impressive. For me, though, the reason the film was great has to be Ms. Monroe. She is just simply stunning and elegant in this movie (A word her character very much likes to use!). She really captures the audiences heart as "The Girl" and it's not hard to see why Tom Ewell's character fell for her obvious charms - she is just a sheer delight in the film.
A sequence which I found totally hilarious was that in which Ewell's character imagines a variety of heated liaisons with various women in his life - all of them supposedly throwing themselves at him. The way in which he and the "women" deliver the lines - in a classic dead-pan fashion had me almost crying with laughter. Really hilarious stuff. And that's not even mentioning the glorious skirt-over-subway scene. This is a film to watch and fall in love with. You'll really enjoy it if you like Marilyn, you want to laugh, you're looking for a warm movie to just relax to and you're interested in cinema history and classic Hollywood. A great film for so many people - rent it and enjoy!
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18 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Magic on the screen: Monroe fights the New York heat and gives pleasure to Ewell
from Mexico
26 June 2007
In the 'fifties Hollywood created its biggest, best-loved and most powerful sex symbol of allMarilyn Monroe
Marilyn's appeal was, perhaps, in her weakness, in that revealing look of innocence and confidence, in her intense desire to be loved
The 'seven year itch' points out the instinctive desire to be disloyal after seven years of matrimony, with a longing to satisfy one's sexual needs
This amusing film was adapted from a Broadway play of the same name by George Axelrod, with Tom Ewell reprising his Broadway role, walking, worrying, and sweating
Tom and Evelyn Kayes have been married for seven years While he remains in Manhattan on business, Evelyn and their son Ricky (Butch Bernard) go off to Maine to escape the sweltering summer
The apartment upstairs has been rented to a television blonde model (Marilyn Monroe). When she forgot her front door key, she had to ring Ewell's bell to let her into the building
When Marilyn accidentally knocks a tomato plant onto Tom's terrace, the happily man invites the luscious young beauty downstairs for a drink, indulging in fantasies about taking her in his arms and kissing her 'very quickly and very hard'
Marilyn comes in, explaining that she feels safe with married men... He makes a clumsy pass while they are at the piano but both fall off the seat He stammers an apology, but she pretends it is nothing
When Marilyn returns to her apartment, Tom envisions his wife having an affair in Maine with their big neighbor, Tom McKenzie (Sonny Tufts) Then he sees himself lost between foolish fantasies of seduction, and terrible ideas of his wife capturing him in action Finally he decides to put an end to his visions and asks Marilyn out to a movie...
On their way home, they stop on a subway
As the trains go by underneath, Marilyn's skirts billow up
It is so hot in the city she presumably loves the rush of air on her thighs
Marilyn plays the scene in innocent delight And Billy Wilder's shot shows a strapping blonde with a white skirt blown out like a spinnaker above her waist
For this famous shot alone, the movie is a must see
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11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
A legendary scene, but little else to remember...
9 February 2010
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Recap: Richard Sherman has just sent his wife and kid away to the countryside, to let them escape an especially bad New York City heat wave. Sherman is left behind during the summer, having to work. But something else starts to occupy his mind, his new upstairs neighbor. It isn't just anyone, but a spectacularly beautiful young woman. A model to boot. Sherman starts flirting with her, but his guilty conscience is having the best of him. Should he or should he not act on the romance with the girl upstairs.
Comments: A rather unusual story where most of the story is played out in either Sherman's apartment or Sherman's imagination, as he obsesses if he should or shouldn't act on his impulses. But unusual and original as it is, it is not that funny that one could hope for. Legendary screenwriter and director Billy Wilder spearheads this movie and that promises a lot, and it doesn't live up to the expectations. There were a few outright laughs, it mostly made me smile a little. With Sherman's obsessing it almost gets a little brooding instead.
It does bear watching though, if nothing else for one famous scene where Marilyn Monroe steps out on the grating above the subway, and her dress blows up around her legs. It's fun to have seen the original seen that has been copied and parodied countless times since.
But at almost two hours running, it is not really good enough to really carry itself. Some small moments of good jokes but otherwise it was just rather long. If you want to watch a really funny Marilyn Monroe movie I recommend Some like it hot. Also directed by Wilder it is much better.
5/10
from New York, NY
3 January 2003
I've heard about this movie all my life, but actually just watched it for the first time on New Years Day 2003.  I must say that I was quite disappointed.  Billy WIlder is my all-time favorite director, and he does a great job bringing out MM's best.  There are also five or six wildly funny scenes, but the silly, and sometimes ridiculous, Walter-Mitty-esque blurs of reality suffered by Tom Ewell's character throw this comedy completely off-balance.  Ewell has the manic energy the plot calls for, and Donald McBride and Robert Strauss give great supporting turns.  But Sonny Tufts is awful, and ultimately, even a sparkling gem of a performance by MM is weighed down by too much silliness.
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