Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy Shaw, Esmond Sr. hires Ernie Malone, a private detective, to follow her and report any questionable behavior that would disqualify her from the marriage.
A strong play to the sophisticated dialog and situations is given by Howard Hawks' direction and he maintains the racy air that brings the musical off excellently at a pace that helps cloak the fact that it's rather lightweight, but sexy, stuff.
– William Brogdon,
Variety,
13 May 2008
fresh:
If camp comedy capering (don't call it a social satire!) isn't your thing, it's worth the ticket to see Monroe's iconic and flawlessly choreographed performance of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (TM): a perfect four minutes of film.
– David Jenkins,
Time Out,
26 Feb 2010
fresh:
There's more warmth in [Russell's] fondly bemused looks at Monroe, whose friendship is a front-row ticket to the best show in town.
– Nick Pinkerton,
Village Voice,
3 Aug 2010
fresh:
You won't find a more elegant take on '50s va-va-voom vulgarity or a more joyous paean to the cheesecake self-empowerment of two little girls from Little Rock.