Dean Martin actually plays a version of himself- Dino- a famous nightclub singer and musical performer

Hey pallies, likes gonna shares 'nother review of "Kiss Me Stupid" with all you pallies. It comes from a blog pad where a chick tagged Mandi...who just happens to be a fellow Ohioian...makes you wonder likes if she has ever made pilgrimage to our Dino's birth site of Stu-ville... Likes anyway, I disgress. Miss Mandi hangs her hat at "Making Nice In The Midwest" and it is there that I discovered her "Movie Mondays" Dino-review of KMS.

Likes I totally totally gets and totally totally digs where Mandi is comin' from when she pontificates that...."The best part about the movie, in my opinion, is the unique angle where Dean Martin actually plays a version of himself- Dino- a famous nightclub singer and musical performer with an infamous reputation for the bottle and the babes."

But, as you read the rest of Miss Mandi's review, it seems clear that she may very well not understand that our most beloved Dino was always always a man before his time, and his performance in KMS is at least a decade or two ahead of where entertainment was headed.

Anywho, ilovedinomartin is delighted to see 'nother pallie sharin' the Dino-wealth with their readership and bringin' others into the Dino-tribe. Thanks Miss Mandi for puttin' the accent on our Dino and introducin' this Dino-flick to the pallies gathered at your pad. To read this in it's original format, likes just clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram. Dino-always, ever, and only, DMP

Movie Mondays: Kiss Me Stupid 1964



Kiss Me Stupid was surprisingly well reviewed on Netflix, and even heralded as many reviewers’ favorite Dean Martin flick. Being a fan of the cheesy, Dino-always-gets-the-girls musical plots and 1960s style, I was intrigued and wondered why I had never seen this Billy Wilder movie form my favorite decade in film. I’ve always loved the beloved director’s off-beat comedic style of sardonic story-telling, and knowing the strength of the top billing actors, I was all set to enjoy this classic film. Though, honestly, I ended up walking away pretty disappointed.







The best part about the movie, in my opinion, is the unique angle where Dean Martin actually plays a version of himself- Dino- a famous nightclub singer and musical performer with an infamous reputation for the bottle and the babes. The story is set up by introducing us to small-town piano teacher, Orville, who writes fluffy love songs, dreaming of selling a hit song one day, and constantly worrying that his beautiful wife will realize what a flop he is and leave him for someone else.

Orville is beyond excited and hopeful with Dino actually stops into his town for a gasoline fill-up, and after having a friend tinker with Dino’s fuel line, the two concoct a plan t to host Dino at Orville’s house, and sell the famous singer on one of their songs while he’s stranded in their town. There’s just one problem- Orville’s beautiful wife, Zelda, admits to being head-over-heals for Dino, and Dino certainly doesn’t hide his curiosity about Zelda, using her curvaceous dress form as a hint of things to come. Orville has got to get his wife out of the house, and find a replacement for her, before Dino either sweeps his wife off her feet, or Dino leaves town and Orville’s chance of selling a hit song is gone forever.







The storyline is a great start for a fun film with plenty of situational irony, and with Billy Wilder at the helm, I didn’t think anything could go wrong. Especially not with the ever watchful eyes of a still-conservative 1960s movie studio, right? I suppose you could still say the story was expertly told with excellent acting and beautifully paced scenes. There was a little music, but I certainly wouldn’t call this a musical. All of the characters were likable and despicable in their own right. All of these are good things. I was just really disappointed by how so much of the humor revolved around marital jealousies and infidelities. The plot focused around how a scummy musical star’s visit to a small town sets everyone to spinning, and while the characters each grew in their own right, I just really hate the overall message that cheating is normal, and even funny. So there you have it. If you can personally get past that major aspect of the movie, I would say it’s a great piece of storytelling through film. But it just didn’t float my boat, and so I’ll count this one as a loss.