Criticisms in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?"

The film also uses humor to criticize the wealthy and famous. The starlet Rita Marlowe flies across the country with her pet dog and secretary for "seclusion", but she doesn't even know what that word means. She, however, doesn't want to be in seclusion and wants guys to just fall over her. She really just wants to escape her boyfriend. She uses Rock for attention, without a care to the rest of the world or Rock's life at all. She considers love to be just the same as lust. She just wants attention, and will use anyone to get it.

Rock Hunter wants the glamorous lifestyle of the starlets, for he feels like this will make him more successful. There is a criticism about the “needs” of people wanting to be successful. To Rock, a successful man needs to look like one. He therefore starts changing his image in order to look rich. But these changes are things he does not need, but to him he feels like he needs them. He tried to use a pipe, but was so bad at it he couldn't keep it lit. He felt worthless because he can't keep a pipe lit, which to him means he will never be successful. This is purely pathetic, for a successful person is one who works at his job, not one that can just look like one. Rock Hunter also had to choose a job that was “important enough”. He and the owner of his work place chose their jobs because they knew that they needed to be successful, not because their jobs would make them happy. The success of everyone can be measured by which bathroom that person uses. This shows that their culture places more importance on physical status symbols than actual happiness.

There is also a criticism of Rock Hunter's niece, who does not seem to do anything but worry about Rita Marlowe. She doesn't go to school and only works when she cleans the house for Rita or obsesses over Rita.

There is another criticism about Jenny. Jenny reflects the women that change themselves in order to attract men. She cannot be confident in herself, and changes herself as quick as she could in order to attract Rock.

This film also criticizes the attention that stars get. Rock receives honorary degrees from Harvard just because he is dating Rita- he is not even married to her! There appears to be nothing going on in the world apart from Rita and Hunter’s romance. The world does not run without their romance, which is depressing. Our culture, then and now, wants to hear more about romance and entertainment rather than world events.

The truly humorous part of this film is the absurdity of the plot. In the normal world, a regular man like Rock Hunter would never capture the eyes of Rita in so quick a time. The film also uses physical and situational humor, such as Rock's absurd walk with the shoes, and his near-miss with the mobs and mobs of women, like those coming out of potholes. It is also crazy when Jenny and Rock’s niece start to exercise in order to change themselves, and end up stuck in the same position the whole day and night.