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Howard Hawks was probably the most versatile director of his era, capable of making such distinct films as Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Each is technically a comedy, but each is vastly different from each other. Baby being a slapstick-centric screwball comedy with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn throwing themselves into their roles head-over-feet. Friday being a workplace romance and war between the sexes comedy mixed in with a murder-mystery sub-plot. And Blondes being a musical about two gold-digging, smart, sexual women. The man knew how to direct comedy, which is to say nothing of the great films he made in genres such as noir, western or straight-up drama.
So, we can forgive him for Monkey Business being less than the sum of its parts. The opening half hour drags a little, and by the end it’s rapidly devolved into improbable zaniness and inanity, but it remains charming and likable thanks to those involved. Cary Grant, Mr. Movie Star who has never been equaled, gives a delightfully broad performance as the scientist looking for a miracle drug to combat the aging process. In every film he made there seems to be a moment when the real person behind the Grant persona gets to do a little trick that he learned. Usually it’s some wonderfully acrobatic feat, and here Grant gets to go full-out slapstick when he mentally jumps back and forth from swinging ladies man to a little boy and back to ladies man again.
Ginger Rogers also gets in on the fun as Grant’s wife. She’s still pretty, but she’s started to look a little mature. Doesn’t matter how old she is though once she starts to take a pratfall or dance around. Then the magic from her days with Fred Astaire comes roaring back. Charles Coburn and Marilyn Monroe do perfectly fine with what little they’re given to do. It’s fun, but a minor entry in everyone’s filmography.
