The Apartment (1960)

Movie-wise, there has never been anything like "The Apartment" - love-wise, laugh-wise, or otherwise-wise!

Directed by: Billy Wilder
Written by: Billy Wilder and I.A.L Diamond
Starring: Jack Lemmon as C.C. Baxter, Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik, Fred MacMurray as Jeff Sheldrake, Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss, Ray Walston as Joe Dobisch, and Edie Adams as Miss Olsen

I could have enjoyed this movie a lot more had I not been told it was a comedy. I was stunned at the basis for the plot (esp for 1960) - C.C. Baxter - a man who lets his bosses use his apartments for their romantic trysts (despite them all being married) in exchange for putting in a good word for him at work. He finds himself more and more taken advantage of as his superiors put more pressure on him to make room for them in his schedule. And when Baxer finally gets promoted, the head man of the company realizes what's been going on and puts himself on the schedule. And to make matters worse, Supervisor Sheldrake's paramour is the woman Baxter himself is trying to pursue.

I can understand how this might be portrayed as a dramedy in today's world. But to promote it as a comedy forty years ago is just ridiculous. I suppose the situation could be construed as humorous...yet..the movie is more sad than funny in most ways. The morality is horrendous, and things continually spiral out of control, finally ending with an attempted suicide and a divorce. From a Christian standpoint, there isn't really any good part to this film other than everyone getting what's coming to them.

Yet if I had started this movie knowing it wasn't supposed to be funny, I probably would have enjoyed it tremendously. Jack Lemmon is a wonderful actor as usual, and this side of Shirley MacLaine isn't one I see very often. She usually plays vivacious comedic women as opposed to introspective and withdrawn ones. And it was a real jolt for me to see Fred MacMurray, Disney's wholesome dad, as the antagonist in a movie. He was just downright creepy and slimy and...well, let's just say if the role were cast today, Patrick Swayze would probably fit the bill. Or David Hasselhoff. You get the picture.

So despite this not being a comedy as it's advertised and with some of the tough issues it deals with, looking back, I enjoyed it and can see why it was nominated for a ton of Oscars and won best picture. I'd give this movie a four creepy office managers out of a possible five (4/5).