The Apartment (1960) | Directed by: Billy Wilder | Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray | Score: 10/10 A
Until recently, I had declared most classic films, with the exception of a few, to be overrated. The Apartment is the film that reopened my eyes to the glory that classic films can bring. Not only was the story and dialog excellent, the film is timeless: I could easily see someone remaking this soon, and not much would have to be changed. Sure, they'd be using computers instead of typewriters and cell phones instead of pay phones, but human nature remains the same today as it did in the sixties.
The story is pretty simple: a man named C.C. Baxter (played by the always great Jack Lemmon) is desperately seeking a promotion in his job. His job consumes him, probably because he has nothing else to fill his life with. Baxter lives alone in a rather nice apartment. He has no life, no wife, and, on most nights, not even a bed to sleep in. This is because, in order to climb the corporate ladder, Baxter has agreed to let his various bosses use his apartment as a place to take their mistresses. Baxter is about to call it quits, when the big boss calls him in for a favor. He agrees to promote Baxter if gives him the use of his apartment. Meanwhile, Baxter is continually flirting with the elevator girl (a good performance by a young Shirley MacLaine), who does not return his affection. When he finds out that his boss's mistress IS the elevator girl, drama ensues. The question is whether or not she will see past the man who will never leave his wife and see Baxter for the guy that he is.
It's a simple drama with a lot of clever dialog. The characters are very real. You can almost feel for Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine's characters; you can almost hate Fred MacMurray. It's easy to get tied into these people's lives. The film runs over two hours, but it does not seem long or tedious. Every performance is on key and everything is believable. It's not all serious, though. There are many comedic moments in the film. Word play is important and situations take on a humorous tone due to the clever Shirley MacClaine and the good natured Jack Lemmon.
The Apartment is a gem of a movie if I've ever seen one. It's yet another reason to declare Billy Wilder a genius of a filmmaker. Even to those who do not appreciate the classics: try this one. You won't regret it. And if you do.. well, that's the way it crumbles, cookie wise.
10/10 A, Eleven Dollars Reviews 2008
Until recently, I had declared most classic films, with the exception of a few, to be overrated. The Apartment is the film that reopened my eyes to the glory that classic films can bring. Not only was the story and dialog excellent, the film is timeless: I could easily see someone remaking this soon, and not much would have to be changed. Sure, they'd be using computers instead of typewriters and cell phones instead of pay phones, but human nature remains the same today as it did in the sixties.
The story is pretty simple: a man named C.C. Baxter (played by the always great Jack Lemmon) is desperately seeking a promotion in his job. His job consumes him, probably because he has nothing else to fill his life with. Baxter lives alone in a rather nice apartment. He has no life, no wife, and, on most nights, not even a bed to sleep in. This is because, in order to climb the corporate ladder, Baxter has agreed to let his various bosses use his apartment as a place to take their mistresses. Baxter is about to call it quits, when the big boss calls him in for a favor. He agrees to promote Baxter if gives him the use of his apartment. Meanwhile, Baxter is continually flirting with the elevator girl (a good performance by a young Shirley MacLaine), who does not return his affection. When he finds out that his boss's mistress IS the elevator girl, drama ensues. The question is whether or not she will see past the man who will never leave his wife and see Baxter for the guy that he is.
It's a simple drama with a lot of clever dialog. The characters are very real. You can almost feel for Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine's characters; you can almost hate Fred MacMurray. It's easy to get tied into these people's lives. The film runs over two hours, but it does not seem long or tedious. Every performance is on key and everything is believable. It's not all serious, though. There are many comedic moments in the film. Word play is important and situations take on a humorous tone due to the clever Shirley MacClaine and the good natured Jack Lemmon.
The Apartment is a gem of a movie if I've ever seen one. It's yet another reason to declare Billy Wilder a genius of a filmmaker. Even to those who do not appreciate the classics: try this one. You won't regret it. And if you do.. well, that's the way it crumbles, cookie wise.
10/10 A, Eleven Dollars Reviews 2008