Billy Wilder's last box office blockbuster was based on a hit musical though he removed the songs. Considering the racy subject matter it's no surprise Wilder thought he could get away with Kiss Me Stupid - Shirley Maclaine is a prostitute, who is actually shown soliciting and seeing clients, loved by policeman Jack Lemmon. I think maybe audiences accepted this more because it takes place in France and a toy town France at that - it's set on the backlost. For all the prostitutes - and there are a lot including Tura Satana - there is an aura of unreality about it, with hammy acting, and Lemmon pretending to be a British client of Maclaine and so on.
Also it's a love story, albeit an unhealthy one - cop Lemmon falls for hooker Maclaine and she loves him but she insists on seeing customers, so he pretends to be customers so she'll only sleep with him.
It's long. So long. Two hours and seventeen minutes. Lemmon and Maclaine are in good form but jeez...
The film has undercast support players - Lou Jacobi is in a role intended for Charles Laughton and does very little with it, Bruce Yarnall is also not memorable as Maclaine's former pimp. James Caan and Bill Bixby can be glimpsed as sailors. Cliff Osmond has a small role - this started a long association with Wilder.
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