Customer Reviews

The Apartment (Widescreen)

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Director: Billy Wilder
Format: Black & White
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios
Video Release Date: August 3, 1999

Cast:

Jack Lemmon ... Calvin Clifford 'C.C.' 'Bud' Baxter
Shirley MacLaine ... Fran Kubelik
Fred MacMurray ... Jeff D. Sheldrake
Ray Walston ... Joe Dobisch
Jack Kruschen ... Dr. Dreyfuss
David Lewis ... Al Kirkeby
Hope Holiday ... Mrs. Margie MacDougall
Joan Shawlee ... Sylvia
Naomi Stevens ... Mrs. Mildred Dreyfuss
Johnny Seven ... Karl Matuschka
Joyce Jameson ... The blonde
Willard Waterman ... Mr. Vanderhoff
David White ... Mr. Eichelberger
Edie Adams ... Miss Olsen
Mason Curry
David Macklin ... Messenger
Hal Smith ... Santa Claus
Benny Burt ... Charlie (the bartender)
Frances Weintraub Lax ... Mrs. Lieberman
Dorothy Abbott ... Office worker

C.C. 'Buddy Boy' Baxter (Jack Lemmon) has a downwtown apartment near his work where he is an insurance analyst in a large firm. He is ambitious to work is way up the ladder, and so loans his apartment out to various of his supperiors for their trysts in an effort to win their favors, which means that he is forced ro work overtime and stay out late while his apartment os occupied.

Fran Kubelik (Shirley McLaine), elevator girl, is in love with big boss and branch manager Jeff D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), who is a married, cheating philanderer with a long history of conquests among the female staff. C.C. Baxter is also in love with Fran, who is having an affair with Sheldrake in his apartment.

This is not really a comedy, although it has its funny moments. It is a good story which comes out all right in the end.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

The black and white comedies of 50's and 60's became quite famous for the screen plays, filming and acting. And this one is above of many of them.

Wouldn't it be great if all movies were this good? This funny? This wise? This clever? This heartfelt? This true? My favorite Jack Lemmon movie. He plays a perfect schmuck who discovers himself. My favorite Shirley MacLaine movie. She plays a sweet but wounded modern girl who wises up. My favorite Billy Wilder movie. A perfect ear for dialogue and eye for mannerisms in his adopted country. Fred McMurray turns in a perfect performance as a shameless cad. No reason not to own this on dvd.

A fantastic movie from beginning to end. Top notch writing and acting. You will not be disappointed.

Buddy Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a meek and mild nobody in an enormous insurance company who has an "arrangement" with his superiors: They can use his apartment to entertain their ladyfriends in exchange for recommendations for his promotion. The deal works out fine, until he discovers that his big boss (Fred MacMurray)'s girlfriend is the object of his own affection, elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine).

"The Apartment" is a quiet, character-driven comedy about shady dealings in the world of big business, with just enough touching dramatic scenes to tug at your heart, and it won the 1960 Best Picture Oscar, thanks to the excellent cast and honest script. Nobody played the Everyman character as well as Lemmon. He's involved in an unsavory situation, but is so sweet, likeable, and noble that you really care about him. MacLaine gives an uncharacteristically subdued and thoughtful performance, and MacMurray is perfect as philandering paramour. The beautiful title tune is one of the loveliest movie love themes ever. The subject matter was considered somewhat racy back then, but now it would probably be rated PG. A clever, sweet, and entertaining movie.

Mr. Lemmon figured prominently in a good dozen of the best films ever made, and he is at the absolute top of his game in "The Apartment" as C.C. Baxter - an up and coming business man who makes his way through the corporate ranks faster than usual by making his apartment available to higher executives to carry on affairs without paying for hotel rooms. This is probably a borderline premise for a romantic comedy today, and it must have seemed absolutely scandalous 44 years ago, but the truth is that it is very contemporary in tone today while also being funny, thoughtful and poignant. It's too bad there's noone as clever as Billy Wilder making Romantic Comedies today. Shirley Maclaine has never been better, and anyone who grew up watching Fred MacMurray in "My Three Sons" or any of those Disney films will be surprised to see him playing an absolute scumbag in this movie. The dialogue is witty and sharp and the acting is crisper than a fresh celery stick. This is a good time.

I'm not going to rain on anybody's parade. This is a terrific movie, and lots of other reviewers have already ticked off all of the things that make it terrific. It's smart and sophisticated, with plenty of witty dialogue. Although some of the details are dated, such as the interminable rows of pencil pushers at desks with adding machines, the underlying office politics are just as real and just as nasty today as ever. The acting is great. Not only are Lemmon and MacLaine wonderful together, the rest of the cast is also excellent.

The only thing I have to add is that, despite clever lines, funny scenes and an acceptably happy ending, THE APARTMENT is as much a drama as it is a comedy. The seamy undercurrent of office politics and the way people ruthlessly use each in their personal relationships gives this little tale a grim, almost vicious, feel at times. Much of what you see in THE APARTMENT is not the least bit funny.

Not to be repetitive, but this is an outstanding movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's not really a family movie, though. True to the period in which it was made, there's no overt sexual content, but there are definitely adult themes and kids probably wouldn't fully "get" what's going on, anyway. Be that as it may, THE APARTMENT would be a great addition to almost any classic movie collection.

This is Jack Lemmon at his best. I think this movie was funny, witty and had everything most storylines in today's films lack......depth.

'Bud' Baxter (Jack Lemon) works for an insurance company in New York and throughout his career he has seen the slow process of few people advancing within the company. However, Bud has found the quick way for professional success and progress as he lends out his apartment to his superiors. The apartment functions as a love nest for his bosses as they can continue their secret love affairs unhindered . Regularly Bud has to return late at night as his superiors are leaving his apartment after a rendezvous with a mistress. This is wearing out Bud both emotionally and physically as he must clean up the mess and deal with the neighbors gossip. When the head of the company wants to borrow his key to his apartment he does not only advance his career, he also discovers the woman of his life. But it comes with a price as he must chose between his career and love.
Billy Wilder is canny as he crafts this story about Bud and the escapades around his apartment. There are two factors that Wilder uses that make the film readily available for a large audience. First Wilder tells a story which people can relate to and second he makes it a comedy, which makes people laugh. These two simple steps are fundamental for a successful film. In addition, Wilder displays his remarkable storytelling skills as he creates this comedy with serious undertones similar to some of William Shakespeare's comedies and this offers depth and makes this film also a good one. In the end, Wilder leaves the audience with a first class story that offers a brilliant cinematic experience as it leaves the audience with a message.

"The Apartment" is a great drama release from 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. It rightfully won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Its plot of a man who lends people his apartment for affairs while getting nothing in return is brilliant. Meanwhile, the love theme always keeps audiences interested. Such combination of complex stories, plus others, placed into one movie keeps the theme ahead of its time. The writers know the perfect scenes to add more drama. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine have the perfect chemistry between each other as actors. Both performed their roles wonderfully. Their expressions alone keeps the dramatic theme intact. "The Apartment" is great for those looking for a great, unique drama. This movie experience will answer why it's become a classic.