X
- 1960
- Approved
- United Artists
- 2 h 5 m
- 1960
- Approved
- United Artists
- 2 h 5 m
Summary A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Directed By: Billy Wilder
Written By: I.A.L. Diamond, Billy Wilder
- 1960
- Approved
- United Artists
- 2 h 5 m
- 1960
- Approved
- United Artists
- 2 h 5 m
The Apartment
8.0
Where to Watch
Summary A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
Directed By: Billy Wilder
Written By: I.A.L. Diamond, Billy Wilder
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
94
95% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
94
95% Positive
20 Reviews
20 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A scathing, ingeniously funny 1960 portrayal of corporate corruption and backstairs sex. [18 March 1988, p.C24]
Director Wilder handles his players superbly. He holds an amazingly tight rein on Actress MacLaine, which gives her performance a solidity she seldom achieves. Yet it is Actor Lemmon, surely the most sensitive and tasteful young comedian now at work in Hollywood, who really cuts the mustard and carries the show.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 69 User Ratings
8.0
88% Positive
61 Ratings
61 Ratings
1% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
10% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 69 User Ratings
8.0
88% Positive
61 Ratings
61 Ratings
1% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
10% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Lemmon and MacLaine are magical together, and MacMurray more than holds his own as the third part of the triangle. He commands the office - and, not incidentally, the big screen - with a sexual energy he would scarcely have a chance to show again.
Production and direction wise, Wilder sustains his usual excellence. But his story is controversial and I am not one of those who can quite see The Apartment as the great comedy-drama he evidently intended it to be. He oversteps the bounds of good taste.
I wouldn't call this 1960 picture one of Billy Wilder's best comedies—it's drab, sappy, and overlong at 125 minutes.
One of the tighter, snappier and more memorable screenplays you'll encounter in the pantheon of Best Picture winners, "The Apartment" is as much an enticing exercise in dramatic irony and intrigue as it is a tender portrait of humanity and love. With all of this coming from the late, great Billy Wilder, you'll find I'm not the least bit surprised. I could watch Jack Lemmon in anything, and for days, to boot. With every performance the guy gives, in everything I've ever seen him in, he builds an express lane straight to your heart, immediately endearing himself to you and making you laugh. Shirley MacLaine is equally winsome, with the chemistry between her and Lemmon really comprising most of the film's appeal. What's most surprising about the film is its deft ability to juggle totally disparate tonalities. It's definitely a comedy in that it's "comedic" (in the Greek sense of the word), but "The Apartment" also takes great risks in its second and third acts, introducing certain thematic elements I didn't expect, but ultimately welcomed with open arms. It's brave, arresting and terrific in its execution. Again, I'm not at all shocked this won as many Oscars as it did.
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While the plot is pretty questionable in places, a great performance from Jack Lemmon and an even better one from Shirley MacLaine combined with Wilder's sensitive direction lead to a really good film.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 5 Wins & 10 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Wins & 4 Nominations
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
