The Apartment (1960)

The Apartment (1960)

7/10

Starring

Jack Lemmon

Shirley MacLaine

Directed by Billy Wilder

The Apartment is one of the most straightforward movies I’ve seen. From the acting to the killer final line at the end—“Shut up and deal”—everything was exquisite. With no hidden messages, cliffhangers, or subplots, The Apartment makes its case that a simple, straightforward plot is best.

It is one of those movies, that has had many references in other movies I have seen, so it was needed for me to see it myself.

The movie is delivered in black and white, and it was Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s next big thing after their 1959 hit, Some Like It Hot. Some Like It Hot starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, and Wilder was eager to work with Lemmon again. That led to Wilder casting him as Calvin Clifford (C.C.) "Bud" Baxter, the lead character who owns “the apartment” where most of the movie takes place.

The movie begins with a brief introduction of C.C. Baxter (known as Bud or Buddy Boy), who loans his apartment to his bosses at work so they can have their illicit affairs. What he hopes to gain from this is a promotion, as the five senior colleagues are giving him good reports.

Everything is going well with his plan until he falls for Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), the elevator attendant at the office. Fran also happens to be seeing one of his bosses. The boss brings her to Baxter’s apartment and leaves her there heartbroken, leading her to attempt suicide. Baxter returns home to find a girl nearly dead in his bed. He saves her but now has to figure out how to keep the matter quiet while still securing his promotion.

Let’s not forget—he’s also fallen for this girl, leaving him in a dilemma: love or promotion.

How Baxter handles it is reason enough for you to see the movie.

Although its release was seen as controversial due to its portrayal of infidelity as something funny and common, and women as mere tools of affection, the movie was still well-received. It earned more than seven times its production cost at the box office. The movie also went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, and Lemmon and MacLaine each won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for their performances.

The movie can be found on numerous lists of the best movies of all time, and it’s a definite must-see.