Directed by:
Billy WilderCinematography:
Joseph LaShelleComposer:
Adolph DeutschCast:
Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens, Johnny Seven, Joyce Jameson (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl...or his job. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
It’s well made, discreet, charming, and soaked in the nostalgia of black and white times. In addition, the film has the excellent central pairing of Lemmon-MacLaine, between whom things spark even without the red-book outbursts and overly cheap gestures. I don't know why, but I had the feeling that Wilder was making a visionary mockery of contemporary love comedies...
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I was beginning to think Baxter wouldn't stand up to his oppressors at the end. It also occurred to me how it would look nowadays, when someone could quietly film them and then blackmail them. Great casting, with Jack Lemmon showcasing his incredible charisma, and Shirley portraying human imperfection and a longing for emotions in all the wrong places. Perfectly executed all the way to the end.
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I think this is one of those films that is perfect in every way. The perfect blend of romance, humor and drama, the perfect interplay of the central couple (even though they are both so different), the perfect Christmas atmosphere, plenty of memorable moments and especially the pleasant unpredictability of whether it will turn out well or not. After the closing credits, I had to see for myself that The Apartment really lasted two hours. I went by so fast.
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I never wanted to go into The Apartment. The late Wilder stars like Lemmon or MacLaine (here representing a new type of beauty - after all, she is a star in the Audrey Hepburn era, right?) are never attractive on their own, but they need proper guidance, more than anyone else. The story has a certain charm, but its essence is brash and cruel at the same time, so the finale is highly questionable. But all this, managed by Wilder with considerable experience, has a certain level and now and then it is good to accept such experiences. Not to rest on our laurels, right?
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Any room in the student dorms could tell more interesting stories than this one about a cagey bastard who sucks up to his bosses by lending them a love nest for long winter evenings... But seriously, almost every other review mentioned Lemmon's civility. Which is interesting because I was annoyed by his utter incivility and overacting in an otherwise excellent film (especially the scene with the fever was deserving of chastisement). And it's even more obvious when confronted with the perfectly civil (ehem, ehem) and a charming performance from Shirley MacLaine. She just sits there all the time, while he runs around confusedly waving his arms like in a slapstick movie.
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