Review of The Apartment (1960) by Chris W — 17 Apr 2009
My favorite Billy Wilder film (although it's neck-and-neck with Ace in the Hole and Some Like it Hot). A fantastic mix of screwball comedy and poignant, heartbreaking drama. When I revisit Jack Lemmon's work I always find myself amazed at his balance of comedy and humanity and Shirley MacLaine keeps her role grounded in reality as an intelligent, heartsick girl who has made some bad decisions in life.
Wilder's command of tone is fantastic, flowing effortlessly from screwball to office satire to romantic dramedy without ever feeling contrived. Cameron Crowe famously has described Wilder's influence on his films and I don't know that it's more on display than in this film with its love for its characters and balance of sadness and warmth (indeed the stomach-pumping scene is replayed very closely in Crowe's 'Almost Famous.
'). What a wonderful film.
This review of The Apartment (1960) was written by Chris W on 17 Apr 2009.
The Apartment has generally received very positive reviews.
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