Rating: 
Summary: A truly excellent romantic comedy.
Review: To set this straight i would like to say that in addition to this wonderful movie, i also regard It's a Wonderful Life, The Philadelphia Story and My Fair Lady as other movies that i thoroughly enjoyed. I love romantic comedies, with their simple plots, witty scripts and feel good endings. i feel that romantic comedies are sometime the hardest movies to pull off. most of the time a romantic comedy comes off as corny or sacharine. however when a truly great romantic comedy is seen everything seems plausible however implausible they may be! In The Apartment the script is simple, the comedic timing is spot on, the dialogue is great and the characters are engaging. Jack Lemmon's acting is truly wonderful and Shirley Temple is suprisingly gentle - something that i would have never expected of the old hag. i recommend this movie to anyone who loves to be immersed in a world with a constant smile on their face. what is so amazing about this movie is its sheer ability to please on countless occassions. unlike most comedies, the Apartment does not age with time and the film continues to be a good watch after the third time (this is my measure of a good romantic comedy). The Apartment is a truly excellent romantic comedy worth being rated as one of the top 100 movies by AFI.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute Gem from Lemmon and Wilder
Review: Mr. Lemmon figured prominently in a good dozen of the best films ever made, and he is at the absolute top of his game in "The Apartment" as C.C. Baxter - an up and coming business man who makes his way through the corporate ranks faster than usual by making his apartment available to higher executives to carry on affairs without paying for hotel rooms. This is probably a borderline premise for a romantic comedy today, and it must have seemed absolutely scandalous 44 years ago, but the truth is that it is very contemporary in tone today while also being funny, thoughtful and poignant. It's too bad there's noone as clever as Billy Wilder making Romantic Comedies today. Shirley Maclaine has never been better, and anyone who grew up watching Fred MacMurray in "My Three Sons" or any of those Disney films will be surprised to see him playing an absolute scumbag in this movie. The dialogue is witty and sharp and the acting is crisper than a fresh celery stick. This is a good time.
Rating:
Summary: Shut Up and Watch
Review: I usually get dragged into Shirley MacLaine movies kicking and screaming; that supposedly elfin charm of hers usually eludes me. Because of this, I neglected to watch "The Apartment" for years. All I can say about that now is, "Pardon me, Shirl, my mistake." This movie is a Wilder masterpiece and an absolute delight. One of the best things about it is that it shouldn't be funny; nearly everyone in it is a lying, abusive, double-crossing lecher with a heart of solid tin. There's adultery, alcoholism, and a suicide attempt, too. None of this would be remotely funny in lesser hands than Wilder's, let alone heart-warming, but the director manages this impossible feat handily. It helps that the central character, C.C. Baxter, is brought to life by Jack Lemmon; Lemmon's performance is one of the rare times in film you forget you're watching a star and genuinely believe in the character. Fred McMurray plays against type- amazingly well- as the slimy boss C.C. Baxter must please. Shirley MacLaine is, for once, the heartbreaking gamine she's cracked up to be. The supporting cast is terrific- Jack Kruschen is great as C.C. Baxter's next-door neighbor, a doctor. Joan Shawlee is her usual howlingly funny self as a floozy telephone operator, and Edie Adams gives herself over completely to an unsparing portrait of a scheming secretary. For my money, the best bit in the film is when C.C. Baxter, who has a cold, has been summoned to the boss' office for a talk that takes a VERY surprising turn. The sniffling, sneezing Baxter forgets he's holding his nose spray, and reflexively squeezes a six-foot stream of the stuff across the office. The film is richly detailled, with sets that blend seamlessly with the real New York City locations used. I spotted one inside joke in the movie- C.C. Baxter gets his first real promotion and, therefore, his first real office at the company. Of course, Baxter's name is on his door; the door of the next office says that T.W. Plews is the occupant. The name is actually that of Tom "Limey" Plews, prop master for this movie and hundreds more. This is one of the greats, and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. There is one glitch in the video transfer you should know about; the original theatrical trailer is included on it, and the print of the trailer is absolutely terrible. Fortunately, the film itself is just fine. BUY this one, don't rent it- you'll want to see it again and again!
Rating:
Summary: They Should All be Like This
Review: Wouldn't it be great if all movies were this good? This funny? This wise? This clever? This heartfelt? This true? My favorite Jack Lemmon movie. He plays a perfect schmuck who discovers himself. My favorite Shirley MacLaine movie. She plays a sweet but wounded modern girl who wises up. My favorite Billy Wilder movie. A perfect ear for dialogue and eye for mannerisms in his adopted country. Fred McMurray turns in a perfect performance as a shameless cad. No reason not to own this on dvd.
Rating: 
Summary: A CINEMATIC TREASURE GETS LOWLY TREATMENT ON DVD
Review: Legendary director, Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" is one of those little jabs of tawdry pleasure that crop up every once in a while. It's the tale of an overworked office jockey, C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) who wants so desperately to gain access to the executive suite that he starts renting out his apartment to company executives that are having affairs with their secretaries. Baxter's shy repartee with elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) seems promising enough for an office romance of his own. That is, until Baxter learns that Fran is in love with his boss, Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). However, when Fran accepts that her affair with Jeff can go nowhere because he refuses to divorce his wife, she begins to realize her night in shining armor might not come with a key to the executive washroom, but is genuine and good for her nevertheless. MGM DVD has done a below average job of remastering this DVD. The 2:35:1 anamorphic picture exhibits overly harsh, digital characteristics that are wholly unflattering. Though the gray scale is well balanced, offering fine detail, there are excessive amounts of shimmering, edge enhancement and aliasing throughout. Shadow delineation and contrast levels during the night scenes are poorly rendered. The soundtrack is mono and strident. There are no extras.
Rating:
Summary: Wait for a better release... whenever it comes.
Review: The video transfer is not that good, and no extras. This 5 star movie got a 1,5 star dvd. But deserves an AAA treatment instead. Too bad Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray and Billy Wilder are dead. But Shirley MacLaine is still there. I am sure we'll get the right DVD sooner or later.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Poignant Dramedy Done in Classic Wilder Style
Review: Even though filmmaker Billy Wilder has made a number of masterpieces in different genres in a long career (e.g., "Double Indemnity", "Sunset Boulevard", "Some Like It Hot"), 1960's "The Apartment" still ranks as one of my favorites in his canon. The film has his trademark cynical humor (Wilder co-scripted with his longtime partner, I.A.L. Diamond), but it seems to have a deeper conscience and a more open heart than many of his other films. Even as a period piece, it is brimming with subtle observations about social mores and corporate culture in the early sixties. Very little has changed since then, which is why the movie doesn't seem as dated as others. In fact, the film seems to resonate even more today as a social commentary than the intended comedy it was supposed to be at the time. A very young and energetic Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, an ambitious insurance company desk jockey looking for his rung on the ladder. Toward that end, Baxter loans his apartment to sleazy, married executives at his office in need of a place to frolic with their mistresses. His novel way of networking does yield a promotion from the head of the company, J.D. Sheldrake (initials were big as "first" names back then), played to smarmy, hypocritical perfection by none other than Fred MacMurray, who was then mired in wholesome Disney films and soon "My Three Sons". He was a last-minute replacement for the great curmudgeon of a character actor, Paul Douglas, who died suddenly before production. Wilder wisely hired MacMurray, who had not tapped into his dark side since being duped by Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity".
The complicating factor in Baxter's upward mobility is that Sheldrake's mistress is Fran Kubelik, the office elevator girl with whom Baxter is already smitten. Since Shirley MacLaine is still quite active in movies today, it's often hard to remember what a charming, effervescent gamine she was before she starred in her own elephantine movies in the sixties. As MacLaine still is, she can be a wonderful actress, and she plays Fran effectively as a beaten victim of unwise love with a palpable depth of self-loathing. It's a lovely, unassuming performance, and the first conversation between Baxter and Fran in the elevator is quite sweet. But it is Lemmon, who dominates the picture with his affable demeanor and ironic sincerity. In anybody else's hands, Baxter would have been a put-upon schnook who deserves being punished for facilitating extramarital affairs in his apartment. Instead, Lemmon injects so much of his innate humanism into Baxter that the slow recovery of his conscience in the face of Fran's suicide attempt makes you happy with the inevitable ending. He also gives the first indication of the fine dramatic actor he was to become in his subsequent heavier films, "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Save the Tiger". Comparatively speaking, it's a modest addition to the Wilder filmography but one that does pierce the heart unexpectedly while making you laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Masterpiece
Review: They don't make movies like this any more. Jack Lemmon at his frenetic best, Shirley MacLaine has this part in her pocket. And the supporting cast is a talented group of actors you will love and love to hate. The story is as old as time with a new twist that is still relevant 40 years later. Will Mr. Baxter and Miss Kubelik survive the climb up the coprporate ladder? We're rooting for them!
Rating:
Summary: The Hardships of a Lone New Yorker.
Review: Director Billy Wilder has filmed many remarkable comedies: "The 7th Year Itch" (1955), "Some Like It Hot" (1959), "Irma la Douce" (1963) and "The Apartment" (1960). All of them were a big box office success at their release. After 40 years they are still enjoyable to see and get a good laugh.
Obviously Wilder had the knack for this movie genre.
The story is quite simple, C. C. Baxter is an ordinary office employee lost in a huge Company with the least chance of progress. But he is also a bachelor and the owner of a cute apartment. So by lending its key to "the Bosses", allowing them their philandering escapes, he starts some progress.
Things start to get muddled when he lent the keys to the Brass Top, a married man, who's having an affaire with a beautiful co-worker. Baxter is, at the same time, having an infatuation with the same girl without knowing what's going on.
With these elements Wilder construct an endearing tragicomedy supported by outstanding characterizations.
Jack Lemmon, has been Wilder's choose in at least seven films, gives one of his best comedy performances as Baxter. There are no words to describe Shirley Mac Laine's play acting. She's just perfect. Fred Mac Murray in the "bad guy" role is very good.
This film was awarded with five Oscar and nominated for five more. Even if you don't give to much credit to these awards, they really "mean" something.
One of my favorite movies and I hope yours too!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Rating:
Summary: I love you, Miss Kubelik
Review: Hmmm... How can I add to what has already been written? Well, this is one of my favorite classic movies. Jack Lemmon just nails his character so perfectly. This was made back when acting was acting. Oh, and... I have a major crush on Shirley Maclaine! "I love you Miss Kubelik---I absolutely adore you!" :D
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