The Misfits (1961)

The Misfits is a film of beginnings and endings: It was Monroe’s last film; the last film of costar Clark Gable, whom Monroe idolized as a child; a collaboration with Monroe’s husband Arthur Miller shortly before their divorce; and a return to a black-and-white film with director John Huston, with whom Monroe made her breakout film The Asphalt Jungle 11 years prior. “The trouble is, I always end up back where I started,” Monroe’s wayward character Roslyn fittingly remarks early in the film.

Allowing Miller to write The Misfits doomed the project from the start. Miller may have been an esteemed playwright, but his screenplay lacks rhythm and dramatic tension. Roslyn is a shallow character for Monroe, and Miller cruelly pulled in facts from Monroe’s own past to create Roslyn, which frustrated her on set. She is largely sidelined in the final act, when the story becomes about a trio of uninteresting cowboys wrangling a few horses.

Monroe was suffering from substance use and mental health issues during the filming of The Misfits, and at times it is a difficult performance to watch. She does not have her typical focus, and appears absent or unresponsive in many scenes. She rushes lines as if to get through them as quickly as she can. The material does her no favors either — in both its performances and writing, The Misfits is a failure.

A small bright spot is Gable, a sweet and generous performer with Monroe. The glimmers of energy she conjures on screen are in her interactions with Gable, whom she looks upon lovingly. Gable was a hero to Monroe, and it was a shame that her lone screen role with him was marred by a pitiful screenplay and a period of physical and mental exhaustion for her.

Rating: 1.5/5