Best Picture: "The Apartment," 1960

Movie Stats:

Released 1960 (USA)

American, in English

Director – Billy Wilder (who also directed previous winner The Lost Weekend)

Stars – Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray

Plot Summary:

Lowly insurance agent C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) has been working his way up the corporate ladder by letting several executives in his office use his apartment as a place to bring their sidepieces. When Personnel Manager Jeff Sheldrake (MacMurray) approaches him about using the apartment, C.C. finally gets what he wants: an executive position with his own office. However, there’s an unintended consequence he hadn’t considered, and C.C. has to decide whether the trouble is worth it after all. MacLaine co-stars as C.C.’s love interest, Fran Kubelik.

Bad Stuff:

I have nothing against Jack Lemmon, but I feel like he played the same character a lot. While it works for this film, I was like, “Oh, there’s Jack Lemmon being Jack Lemmon again.”

Using private personnel files to look up personal information (such as address and social security number) of a co-worker you find attractive is creepy no matter how you slice it. Don’t be fooled by this movie, where Fran giggles about it like it’s somehow charming.

It’s only two hours long, but I got a bit bored by the end. A few scenes simply played out too long & could have been trimmed.

Good Stuff:

Shirley MacLaine’s performance was great.

To me, this seems like a risqué topic for 1960. I like that the film approached it directly, without euphemisms or vague reference. Also, there was no shaming of the women involved in these liaisons (although there was some shaming of the men), which was refreshing. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised.

This is the first one of these Oscar winners that I can recall thinking to myself that I really enjoyed the music. Usually, I’m flat-out annoyed by it.

The Verdict:

Over the years, I’d tried to watch this movie twice before but could never make it all the way through. I couldn’t really say why, perhaps because I find it slightly boring. I made it through just fine this time. I liked it well enough. It didn’t move me, and it didn’t give me warm fuzzies, but it wasn’t bad either.

It’s funny, because at the beginning of the movie, I was thinking that, stylistically, it reminded me of “The Lost Weekend.” Later, I realized that it’s the same director. So that makes sense. This one has a maudlin air about it as well, although it mixed in some humor as well. Even so, I think “The Lost Weekend” is the better film of the two.

This is one of those movies you watch just to impress people at parties with your knowledge of old cinema. I give it 3.5 stars.