Watch The Apartment
- Approved
- 1960
- 2 hr 5 min
-
8.3 (188,737)
The Apartment is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. The film follows the life of C.C. Baxter (Lemmon), an office worker who loans his apartment to his superiors for their extramarital affairs in the hopes of getting a promotion. However, he falls in love with Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), one of the women he helped, who is having an affair with Baxter's boss, Jeff Sheldrake (MacMurray).
The story begins with Baxter narrating how he came to loan his apartment to his coworkers. He lives a lonely and monotonous life, spending most of his time working in a large insurance company in New York City. To climb the corporate ladder, he willingly allows his married bosses to use his apartment for their affairs. Despite being unhappy about it, he is too spineless to say no, hoping to get promoted in return.
One day, Baxter discovers that his crush Fran is one of the women that use his apartment for their liaisons. Being a gentleman, he agrees to step out of the apartment, allowing Fran to stay there with her lover. However, later on, Baxter learns that Jeff Sheldrake is Fran's lover and he is also married. Sympathetic towards Fran, Baxter tries to console her as she falls into depression after her failed affair.
As the holidays approach, Baxter begins to realize that Fran could be the one true love he has been searching for. He decides to make positive changes in his life, such as standing up to his bosses and trying to win over Fran's heart. Meanwhile, Jeff Sheldrake, after finding out about Baxterâs apartment, makes him give him the key, and begins to have his own affairs with Fran there.
As feelings between Fran and Baxter grow, things start to unravel. Sheldrake becomes increasingly controlling and insensitive when Fran tries to end their affair so that she can start a new life with Baxter.
The Apartment is a well-balanced movie featuring moments of romantic comedy, melodrama, and social commentary. It depicts how people's personal and professional lives are intertwined, and how people are willing to make significant sacrifices for a chance at something important to them.
The movie is filled with remarkable performances by its lead actors. Jack Lemon's portrayal of C.C. Baxter, a man trying his best to be both ambitious and ethical, is brilliantly realistic. Shirley MacLaine's Fran Kubelik is refreshing, complicated, and genuinely heartwarming. Fred MacMurray's Jeff Sheldrake is a sharply drawn character of a ruthless but insecure boss trying to balance the weight of his work and home lives.
The film's screenplay, written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, is clever and sophisticated, packing tons of wit, sarcasm, and humor while the charming score by Adolph Deutsch, adds magic and mystery to the film.
The movie has received numerous awards and nominations, including ten Academy Awards nominations, and won five of them: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Film Editing.
In summary, The Apartment is a timeless romance film that successfully blends comedy, drama, and pathos into an unforgettable experience. It is a story that resonates with audiences of all ages as it brings out the beauty and potential of human relationships that are often obscured by the drama of corporate America in the 1960s. It is a film that is both amusing and heart-warming, showcasing the talents of some of the greatest film makers of all time.
The Apartment is a 1960 comedy with a runtime of 2 hours and 5 minutes. It has received outstanding reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 8.3 and a MetaScore of 94.
