Rating: 
Summary: Wilder at his best...
Review: Who would have thought that a dark romantic comedy set against a backgroud of corparate politics and sex in the 50's could win best picture in 1960. Billy Wilder's very dark and sometimes shocking film The Apartment did just that!!!!! In his best film Wilder scores a knockout. With telling the story of C.C. Baxter(Jack Lemmon),a loner, working for an insurance company and his dealings with his bosses and love for an elevator opporator named Fran(Shirley MacLaine). This movie is almost a satire of corporate America in the 50's. A story of how people get used and the people who use them. With a dark wit Wilder pushes the envelope of what people were used to seeing in a comedy, remember this movie was made in 1960. Now he had made and would make other dark movies, examples Lost Weekend or the film nior classic Double Indemnity. But most were drama's and none had the wicked satire of the Apartment. Lemmon, Maclaine and Fred MacMurray all give great performances. A +++++++++++++
Rating:
Summary: Stay At The Apartment
Review: The Apartment is Billy Wilder's satirical look at office politics and the Man In The Grey Flannel Suit. Jack Lemmon stars as C.C. Baxter, a lowly office clerk in a huge corporation who is just another faceless working bee in an endless row of desks. When Baxter starts lending his apartment to executives in his firm so they can take their mistresses there, he finds himself moving up the corporate ladder. Although the constant loaning of his apartment starts to be an inconvenience, he keeps doing it as makes sense business wise. In meantime, he meets Fran, an elevator operator in his building, who is involved in affair with the big man in corporation, J.D. Sheldrake, played by Fred MacMurray. Mr. MacMurray is outstanding playing against type as the lascivious lowlife boss and philanderer (although is played another unscrupulous character quite well in The Caine Mutiny). Ms. MacLaine is excellent as the morose Fran who brings the situation between Baxter, Sheldrake and herself to head when she tries to commit suicide. Baxter must decide between his integrity and his career. Mr. Wilder masterfully fills the film with laughs and heart and his look at corporate politics is sharp and incisive. For his efforts, he yet again had a triple win at the Oscars, taking the 1960 Best Director, Screenwriting & Picture awards. The Apartment was also the last black & white film to win the Best Picture Oscar until Schindler's List (which has some elements of color) won in 1993.
Rating:
Summary: A Movie Sensation! Best Wilder Film Ever!
Review: This movie is an amazing movie. I just saw it yesterday and I must say that this is now one of my favorite movies of all time. This is a timeless tale of love, romance, and wrong desisions. Billy Wilder has done an amazing job with this movie and it is his best in my opinion. Though Sunset Boulevard was excellent, this is better. Many plants and payoffs that work to the greatest effect, timeless lines that come from that golden age of movies, and pretty visuals make this movie great. Also, an astounding performance by Jack Lemmon! I had never seen one of earlier movies when he was younger and now I wish I had! In sight of his recent death and also Billy Wilder's recent death, I also think this is a commemorative movie that they made together. This movie is also known as being Cameron Crowe's favorite film and is known to be shown in History of Film classes for film students for it's impecable excellence. A must own for any film lover.
Rating:
Summary: Superb acting and story!
Review: In "The Apartment", Jack Lemmon gets to showcase and stretch his acting ability like in no other movie, and that's why it's my favorite Lemmon flick. Being a mixture of comedy and drama, we get to see Lemmon's raw talent and the ease at which he is able to accommodate the requirements of a given scene.The 60's N.Y city setting is the perfect backdrop for Lemmon's attempt to climb up the ladder of success, by allowing his "higher-up" co-workers at the insurance company where they work access to his apartment for their various trysts and affairs. While the whole thing started as more or less an accident, Lemmon ("C.C. Baxter") puts up with the many inconveniences of the arrangement because he quickly sees the value ("business-wise", that is) of his beneficent behavior. And it seems to pay off when he finally receives a promotion, only to discover that his new boss ("Mr. Sheldrake", played by Fred MacMurray) also wants in on the apartment "action". The plot then thickens when Lemmon begins to fall for an elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) who happens to be the girl that Sheldrake is having an affair with..... The storyline moves quickly so there is never a boring moment and the viewer easily becomes sympathetic to Baxter, who ultimately must make the "career vs. integrity" decision. As the movie continues, the funny lines and scenes (and they are top-notch) diminish somewhat and the more poignant moments surface - Lemmon is equally at home in both worlds. MacMurray as "the villain" works surprisingly well, and although I am not a Shirley MacLaine fan, she is excellent in this movie. The DVD quality is very good and far surpasses my old VHS copy, plus it's in wide screen format. Directed by Billy Wilder. The black and white works exceptionally well, creating an ironic sense of isolation and despair in the ever-bustling and often humorous world of unstoppable human.....progress? Not only my favorite Lemmon movie, but one of my favorite movies period, and one I watch 2 or 3 times each year. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A gem!
Review: Jack Lemmon gives an outstanding portrayal of C.C. Baxter, an insurance company employee for Consolidated Insurance in Manhattan. C.C. has been secretly lending the key to his apartment to co-workers so they could bring their mistresses somewhere to have an affair, often leaving him locked out. Fran Kubelik [Shirley MacLaine] is an elevator attendant in the office who C.C. has a crush on. Little does he know that she's been having an affair with his boss, J.D Sheldrake [Fred MacMurray], in his apartment. I have never seen a movie where drama and comedy have been mixed together so well. The Apartment is one of the finest movies I've ever seen. The acting from all of the stars is superb and the writing is wonderful. In 1960, it won the Oscar for best picture, best screenplay and best director [Billy Wilder was great] and deserved all of them. Although there aren't any special features with the DVD [the clarity is great, though], you don't care with a movie this good.
Rating: 
Summary: Good movie, a little dated, but cool b&w flick
Review: I don't see too many b&w movies, so I'm glad I caught this one. I was kept involved the whole time. I didn't understand why Baxter could never say no to his bosses, but I guess that's from the workplace hierarchy standards of a past time. Also, I couldn't see why Miss Kubelik was in love w/Sheldrake at all! I guess she was sweet & dumb. But I really had a hard time believing Shirley Maclaine in this role because it was really the part for an airhead--maybe a ditzy blonde kind of actress? One scene I will remember most about this movie was the holiday office party scene. Couples making out in every corner, a real Soddom & Gomorrah or bacchanalia scene. I was like DAM*, I guess the workplace really HASN'T changed that much over the years! Because corp. amer. is still like that, only a LITTLE more under wraps (as another reviewer mentioned above, helped by email & pagers & whatnot...) A charming movie--esp. liked neighbors, Doc & wife! And the woman he picked up at the bar! This was a quality, well-done film--they don't make 'em like this anymore....
Rating:
Summary: An apartment is just a rung....
Review: Some things have not changed much in the world of office politics and all things sexual since this movie was released some 40 plus years ago. Oh sure, today's tactical pursuit of illicit workplace liasons have adapted to the advent of pagers, cell phones, the Internet, not to mention a ginger dance around the legal land mines of sexual harrasment lawsuits, but viewing the cosmopolitan office scene of times gone by as defined by "The Apartment" is a worthy study in love and lust amid the corporate arena. C.C.Baxter, (Jack Lemmon) climbs the corporate ladder by making his apartment available to key personnel within his company for quickie liasons. Somewhat naive about the ways of the world, he develops a romantic attraction for the nubile elevator operator, Miss Kubelik, (Shirley MacLaine). She is however, preoccupied with the ongoing affair she is secretly involved in with the married big boss J.D.Sheldrake, (Fred MacMurray) who demands the key to Baxter's apartment from time to time in return for corporate favors. Why this wonderfully written and superbly acted film is sometimes defined as comedy escapes me. Sure this movie has many great moments of biting satire but at its heart is pathos on parade. Christmas and New Year's Eve never seemed so empty and pointless. Climbing the corporate ladder can carry a hefty personal price but I suppose that lesson is to be experienced by each generation of young lions who would covet the corner office. "The Apartment" is a great study in personal compromise most worthy of two hours of your time.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Wilder-but not classic treatment for the DVD
Review: The Apartment is an insightful movie made by one of cinema's most talented directors. The plot is fairly simple, but C.C. Baxter's (Jack Lemmon) is anything but. By innocently lending out his apartment to a coworker, Baxter's residence becomes the love nest for his philandering colleagues. Along the way, Baxter develops a friendship with Fran Kubelik (Shirley Maclaine), one of several attractive female elevator operators. Baxter is rewarded for his generosity by getting promoted by Jeff D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). Little does he realize that Fran is Sheldrake's latest plaything. The Apartment has all that you expect from the best of Wilder: great performances, witty dialogue, and a plot that holds to this day, even if most of the depiction of the corporate office environment has changed dramatically (When was the last time you saw an elevator operator?). The three stars provide great characterizations, with MacMurray the real surprise here playing against type. This film is also notable for solidifying the Wilder/Lemmon team. With The Apartment, Lemmon was no longer playing second male leads or supporting roles. A worthwhile film that is still enjoyable today, but the DVD version leaves much to be desired. The picture quality is good, but the looping (the sound synchronization) is off and very distracting. Don't know the reason for this, but considering this film's place in cinema history, I would have thought it would have gotten the A treatment. The DVD is a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: COMEDY AS IT SHOULD BE
Review: The black and white comedies of 50's and 60's became quite famous for the screen plays, filming and acting. And this one is above of many of them.
Rating:
Summary: Redemption in the Apartment
Review: I finally got to see The Apartment about three years ago. I immediately put it on my list of 50 favorite films. The DVD version was about to come out, and I ordered it as soon as I knew it would be forthcoming. I see a redemption theme here. Both Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are on their way to getting out of their unproductive situations. (If you want to know what finally happens, see it for yourself.) The film has some parallels with Pretty Woman.
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