What is the best Marilyn Monroe movie?

Marilyn Monroe lit up screens in a string of beloved Hollywood classics — from screwball comedies to dramatic roles that revealed the full range of her talent. Pick the film that best captures her legendary screen presence.

1

Some Like It Hot

A 1959 Billy Wilder comedy where Monroe plays Sugar Kane opposite Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon disguised as women in an all-female jazz band — widely considered one of the funniest films ever made.

2

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

A 1953 musical comedy directed by Howard Hawks, featuring Monroe as showgirl Lorelei Lee and the iconic 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' sequence in a hot pink gown.

3

The Seven Year Itch

A 1955 comedy directed by Billy Wilder featuring Monroe in the legendary subway grate scene that became one of cinema's most enduring images.

4

The Misfits

Monroe's final completed film (1961), a dramatic western written by her then-husband Arthur Miller, co-starring Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift.

5

Bus Stop

A 1956 comedy-drama where Monroe plays Chérie, an aspiring singer in a Phoenix saloon who captures the obsessive attention of a naive Montana cowboy.

6

Niagara

A 1953 Technicolor film noir thriller set at Niagara Falls, where Monroe plays a scheming wife plotting her husband's murder — an early role that cemented her as a serious actress.

7

How to Marry a Millionaire

A 1953 romantic comedy co-starring Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable as three models sharing a New York penthouse in their search for wealthy husbands.

8

Don't Bother to Knock

A 1952 psychological thriller where Monroe plays a deeply troubled babysitter in a hotel, an early dramatic role that critics have since recognized as ahead of its time.

9

River of No Return

A 1954 CinemaScope Western adventure directed by Otto Preminger, featuring Monroe as a saloon singer swept into a dangerous river escape with Robert Mitchum.

10

The Prince and the Showgirl

A 1957 romantic comedy set in 1911 London, directed by and co-starring Laurence Olivier, with Monroe as an American chorus girl courted by a European prince.

11

Let's Make Love

A 1960 musical comedy co-starring Yves Montand, notable for Monroe's memorable rendition of 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy' and her real-life romantic involvement with her co-star.

12

All About Eve

A 1950 backstage drama where Monroe appears in a small but memorable role as an aspiring actress, sharing scenes with Bette Davis and Anne Baxter.

13

Monkey Business

A 1952 screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks featuring Monroe as a secretary caught up in a laboratory mishap involving a fountain-of-youth formula, alongside Cary Grant.

14

There's No Business Like Show Business

A 1954 CinemaScope musical featuring Monroe alongside Ethel Merman and Donald O'Connor as the youngest member of a vaudeville family dynasty.

15

Ladies of the Chorus

Monroe's first substantial film role (1948), a musical drama about a burlesque performer who follows in her mother's footsteps — an early glimpse of the star she would become.