The Apartment (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a lonely but ambitious insurance clerk for a NY firm in 'The Apartment' (produced & directed by the great Billy Wilder). A go-getter looking to move up the ranks, C.C. lets 4(!) senior executives at his firm use his nearby West Side apartment for their extramarital trysts. It works; as he is promoted by the head of personnel, Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), & gets his own office. But Mr. Sheldrake also wants a key to his apartment, so that the married man can take his adorable elevator operator girlfriend, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine).
The problem here is that Fran is the girl that C.C. has recently taken a liking to. And now the ruse that got him ahead in business is what's stinging his personal life. The demoralized Fran, a victim of Sheldrake's callous character, is dumped by him so he can go on with his loveless marriage. Devastated, she attempts suicide via pills on Christmas Eve; not even knowing that the suicide attempt is in C.C.'s apartment. Since C.C. is head over heels for her (and she likes him, too) ... he nurses her back to health; even cooking spaghetti for her & straining it with his tennis racket.
This bittersweet movie that blends both comedy & drama also offers some biting commentary. It talks of success and what it takes to get ahead in business. It also has something to say about betrayal & adultery. Deliberately lacking a consistent tone/mood, this romantic dramedy vacillates btwn. sympathy & pity for its protagonists. The heart of the film is the budding relationship btwn. C.C. & Fran. In the beginning, there is sweet, but tentative chemistry btwn. them; exchanging pleasantries at the office. But their relationship deepens, as you imagine it would, during the more dramatic 2nd half of the film. They reveal a lot to one another in C.C.'s apartment, some of which they don't even realize until events have parted them.
The performances of Jack Lemmon as our go-getter & Shirley MacLaine, as the elevator girl, are superb. Lemmon plays self-deprecating milquetoast so well; but he also exhibits some nuance & depth, here. And I just fell in love with MacLaine. Not only is she humorous, but I also felt her shame/sadness with her dalliance with the loathsome Fred MacMurray character. And all of her scenes pre, during & post suicide attempt are wonderfully rendered. Both actors were nominated for an Oscar, but faced stiff competition and lost. In any other yr., they'd have been worthy of wins.
'The Apartment' runs a little long & goes on a few tangents. But on the whole, this is a wonderful film that deservedly won its fair share of accolades. The direction & writing is astute. The black-&-white cinematography is excellent. The apartment - itself - is a great piece of art direction (you won't soon forget the layout, the kitchen, etc.). And by the time the film ends, you really feel like you've watched something satisfying and of substance.
The problem here is that Fran is the girl that C.C. has recently taken a liking to. And now the ruse that got him ahead in business is what's stinging his personal life. The demoralized Fran, a victim of Sheldrake's callous character, is dumped by him so he can go on with his loveless marriage. Devastated, she attempts suicide via pills on Christmas Eve; not even knowing that the suicide attempt is in C.C.'s apartment. Since C.C. is head over heels for her (and she likes him, too) ... he nurses her back to health; even cooking spaghetti for her & straining it with his tennis racket.
This bittersweet movie that blends both comedy & drama also offers some biting commentary. It talks of success and what it takes to get ahead in business. It also has something to say about betrayal & adultery. Deliberately lacking a consistent tone/mood, this romantic dramedy vacillates btwn. sympathy & pity for its protagonists. The heart of the film is the budding relationship btwn. C.C. & Fran. In the beginning, there is sweet, but tentative chemistry btwn. them; exchanging pleasantries at the office. But their relationship deepens, as you imagine it would, during the more dramatic 2nd half of the film. They reveal a lot to one another in C.C.'s apartment, some of which they don't even realize until events have parted them.
The performances of Jack Lemmon as our go-getter & Shirley MacLaine, as the elevator girl, are superb. Lemmon plays self-deprecating milquetoast so well; but he also exhibits some nuance & depth, here. And I just fell in love with MacLaine. Not only is she humorous, but I also felt her shame/sadness with her dalliance with the loathsome Fred MacMurray character. And all of her scenes pre, during & post suicide attempt are wonderfully rendered. Both actors were nominated for an Oscar, but faced stiff competition and lost. In any other yr., they'd have been worthy of wins.
'The Apartment' runs a little long & goes on a few tangents. But on the whole, this is a wonderful film that deservedly won its fair share of accolades. The direction & writing is astute. The black-&-white cinematography is excellent. The apartment - itself - is a great piece of art direction (you won't soon forget the layout, the kitchen, etc.). And by the time the film ends, you really feel like you've watched something satisfying and of substance.