Pillow Talk-360P

Pillow Talk-720P

Pillow Talk-360P

Pillow Talk-720P

Pillow Talk-480P

Pillow Talk-480P

source: Pillow Talk

Many modern viewers might find this film to be 'cheesy', and I'll admit that many of the conventions are outdated and possibly sexist, but the fact is the script and directing are flawless. This sort of film could simply not be made in 2004. In today's industry, the only directors and writers given any kind of control over their product are either head- tripping geniuses (Charlie Kauffman) or sci-fi directors that have proven their box-office worth (Spielberg, Cameron). Any film falling under the category of 'Romantic Comedy' or 'Woman's Picture' is exclusively the domain of the major corporations, and so they're churned out in paint-by-numbers duplicates by Hollywood every year. Anyway, a film doesn't have to 'artistic' or 'deep' to be well made, and this film proves that. The story is perfectly laid out, and Hudson and Day are excellent on camera. Doris Day, in fact, could be the best actress of her generation. Any doubters should see 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' for a more intense role. 8/10

The settings are cute, the wardrobe lovely, the actors talented, and the script snappy, but I really could not get into this film. This is one of the many movies I have seen with the formula of manipulative louse finds upstanding citizen with something they want (ex. power, wealth, that body), cons them, louse ends up not following through with it because true love, upstanding citizen finds out truth and freaks, but no worries, they get back together in under twenty minutes. I disliked it in Guys and Dolls, but here there are no side plots or fantastic music numbers to distract me. So the story is that a man with fantastic charisma which he uses to pick up women is hogging the party line of the female lead. She is rightfully annoyed about this but he is dismissive and says she is just jealous he isn't one of the women he chats up. She complains to multiple people, but everyone without a crush on her hints that she is not really mad about not being able to call people from her home (what?) but what she is really upset over is not getting the D. Manipulative louse gets away with it because he put all his character points on charisma. (I did some home installations a few years ago and I would have been really uncomfortable with someone crowding me like that, no matter how pretty they are.) Then they meet outside of the apartment, face to face, for the first time. Louse goes,'Wait, the woman who has been yelling at me is hot. I want a piece of that.' He proceeds to use a fake accent to chat her up. Cue shenanigans of him trying to keep her from finding out the truth. Insert rest of formula. Movies like this make me want to take the upstanding citizen aside and go, "Honey, I know you are lonely and really attracted to this person, but I want you think about something for a moment. The person you are attracted to has spent years of their life manipulating people to get what they want. Behavior like that does not clear up overnight. Just because they love you doesn't mean those bad habits won't reemerge. So I want you to think about this for a while away from them before you find yourself swept along in something that could be really damaging down the line. I know I'm over-thinking this, it's a comedy. On the other hand, there are much worse movies out there who don't deserve such a loop hole. I'll stick to my 6/10, only because many people won't be bothered by the same things as I.

Pillow Talk was the first of three films Rock Hudson and Doris Day teamed on. Personally, I don't think it was their best, but it's entertaining enough. Though for the life of me I can't understand what Doris did in this particular comedy to warrant an Oscar nomination. Pillow Talk doesn't stand out in that way. Doris was passed over for such things as Love Me Or Leave Me, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Midnight Lace where she really did do some good acting. The premise is dated, party lines are certainly a thing of the past now with text messaging cell phones. I do recall back around the same time my grandparents still having a party line. In that sense Pillow Talk is dated. Still the film is funny enough. Virginal interior decorator Doris Day happens to get the same party line as wolfish songwriter Rock Hudson. Rock with his non-stop love life is constantly cutting in on Doris's business calls. When he accidentally learns who she is when at a bar she's fending off the advances of young Nick Adams, Rock embarks on an all out campaign to nail her as another trophy. Of course the imponderable of love always gets in the way in these films. Doris Day in all of her comedy films, be they with Rock Hudson or others always got a good group of supporting players. It seemed obligatory that Tony Randall before finding fame as Felix Unger, was always cast as the hero's best if goofy friend. It's either him or Gig Young in these roles. He creates his perennial character in Pillow Talk. On the female side Thelma Ritter as Doris's perpetually hung over maid is her deadpan best. My favorite scene in Pillow Talk is her drinking Rock Hudson under the table. Though audiences today might not get the whole party line premise, Pillow Talk is still funny enough for even the younger viewers.