Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Apartment (4 Stars)

On this fine day of valentine's, my lady and I ventured back to 1960 and followed C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) as he lent out his apartment to various executives in hopes that his generosity would help him rise up within the company. Needless to say, comedy ensues and to my surprise, a fair amount of drama surrounding Fran Kubelik (Shirley Maclaine) and her not so moral lover Jeff Sheldrake(Fred MacMurray). This gem of a film not only made me laugh (I mean c'mon, Jack Lemmon is in it!), but it also held me captivated with emotion surrounding issues with love. Hmmm.... perhaps me thinks this was not the most romantic movie to watch on a day as lovey dovey as today; however, it was well worth the time to view. Not all older films hold up well with age. This film does though. Perhaps Jack Lemmon had a great deal to do with that. His like ability makes it impossible not to enjoy the film. He is by all definitions of the word, "awesome."

Side Note: To my surprise, they had instant coffee back in 1960. Gee golly. Here I was supposin' that this instant coffee thing was something newer. I feel so edumacated now. Yee haw! 

Side Note Note: The VW Beetle's trunk was in the front of the car. I knew this before, but seeing someone open it, pull out a bottle of champagne, and then close the trunk in the movie was just mind boggling. Who would have thunk that to be a good idea? I mean seriously, if a driver rear ended you, your engine would be kerpunkled. Then again, if you had a large armoire in the trunk, it would make it far more entertaining for other drivers to watch as you attempted to see around it.

The Breakdown: If you're looking for a solid film with a healthy dose of comedy and a sizable chunk of drama, then The Apartment should be on your watch list.