The Apartment - Full Reaction
Added 2021-12-27 06:37:47 +0000 UTCHey guys! Here is the full reaction to The Apartment! As per usual I don't want to spoil my reaction/review so I've included timestamps so you can jump around. What did you guys think of this movie? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Comments
For me, this is more of a black rom-com, as there is a hefty dose of sadness, exploitation, etc. It’s good but it’s not a lighthearted romp in the least!
Marja
2024-01-30 03:37:42 +0000 UTC"Well… that’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise." Shirley MacLaine is beautiful/stunning in this movie. I am mesmerized by her. I like Jack Lemmon. A genius with the banter. Odd that Fred MacMurray is an evil guy to me, as I watched My Three Sons as a kid in the late 60s/early 70s.
Clay F
2024-01-17 16:59:16 +0000 UTCI know ... but I'll keep your secret.
prince andrey
2022-03-05 23:47:51 +0000 UTCI love this one! I would like to make a correction to a comment, Hollywood has been making romcoms since the silent movie era. There's lots of great ones for you to check out. Ninotchka (not silent) is a real good one.
Lester Salazar
2022-01-26 14:37:09 +0000 UTCFirst time watching this. Soooooo good. . once again; got the feels. Thanks Mike!!!
Doc Savage
2022-01-22 03:33:25 +0000 UTCA few other comments here mentioned MacMurray's playing the ultimate good guy tv father soon after his role as a heel in The Apartment. However, it should also be noted that his other two most famous movie roles had him playing bad or very flawed men. One in Wilder's Double Indemnity; the other in...I won't say because the character's true nature isn't revealed until later in the film.
Lankester Merrin
2022-01-12 06:58:53 +0000 UTCA very good or great film with a few flaws. One is that I think Wilder over did it a little in the Christmas party scene. I also think it is quite a funny movie. One of the small jokes I think Cassie missed is when Baxter's potential lover with the jockey husband tells him he needs a new fridge as he is starting to run out to get Dr. Dreyfuss and then says something like "I didn't mean right now!"
Lankester Merrin
2022-01-12 06:52:28 +0000 UTCI would definitely not call this a romcom. (As for the original romcom? That would have to be It Happened One Night, back in 1934.)
Henry Fitzgerald
2022-01-08 07:16:54 +0000 UTCFinally got around to watching this one. First time for me and I’m going to be honest, I did not like it. Sorry if that offends anyone with this in their favorites category. I started off liking Mr. Baxter, but then the lack of backbone and self-promotion made me dislike him. His covering for Sheldrake after such a dangerous event made me want Fran to find someone else in another town. It’s a rom-com that quickly lacked comedy and romance. I think Baxter is a rebound boyfriend in the end.
Ike
2022-01-07 10:54:35 +0000 UTCI signed to Patreon with the specific mission to get the Apartment watched one day and I'm so happy to see it's already been done. This is one of my favorites films ever, it's one that I make it a point to watch every year at least once in the between Christmas and New Years downtime. Billy Wilder is one of my favorite directors ever. It rare to find a writer/director who can balance humor with tangible human pathos as it is in the Apartment. A couple of my other favorites of his that haven't been mentioned in the comments yet are Ace in the Hole and Double Indemnity as well as Irma La Douce which is a fun reteaming of Lemmon and MacLaine.
Nick C
2022-01-02 19:27:08 +0000 UTCFred MacMurray, who played Mr. Sheldrake, said that after this movie came out he would be stopped in the street by older women who would yell at him for making a "dirty movie" and for being such a jerk in it. After one lady hit him with her purse he decided he'd only play nice guys in the future, and spent the next 12 years as one of the most famous nice guy sitcom dads on MY THREE SONS.
Patrick Flanagan
2021-12-31 04:24:48 +0000 UTCCheating Castle.....I adore you Cassie. Only you would come up with this.
softshoes
2021-12-30 21:13:55 +0000 UTCAttitudes about gender roles were somewhat different at the time this was made and the movie reflects that. Viewed in the context of its time it was probably very progressive. For what it’s worth, according to IMDB it was nominated for 10 Oscars in 1961 and won 5 including best screenplay, best director, and best picture.
Daniel Goldberg
2021-12-30 09:07:28 +0000 UTCOr Jack Lemon at his prime in THE ODD COUPLE!
N M
2021-12-29 15:23:22 +0000 UTCI got tricked into watching this movie years ago thinking it was a comedy , all the actors including the beautiful Shirly McClain were comedic actors with years of family friendly movies .
Mike Lipke
2021-12-29 15:04:48 +0000 UTCI adore Billy Wilder. He's made so many perfect films and has such a dark, biting wit to his stories. He really takes a satiric look at the "Mad Men"-type culture of that time. His dialogue is always razor sharp and his characters have weird, memorable names (C.C. Baxter, Fran Kubelik). Other Wilder films that have to be covered someday: Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, Stalag 17, Some Like It Hot and Fortune Cookie. Excellent video, reaction-wise.
Alex Villarreal
2021-12-29 08:42:50 +0000 UTCHave you seen Sabrina? You should also see Sabrina. Both versions. Original is best, but remake has Harrison Ford.
Godzilla Jones
2021-12-29 05:40:41 +0000 UTCI remember 'Getting even with Dad;, starring Danson and Macaulay Culkin. You know a film is bad when you're 10 and asking your parents - "who was this piece of s**t aimed at?"
Jay
2021-12-29 05:11:27 +0000 UTCCan it not be a cynical comedy and a rom com? I don't think we get Harold and Maude, (Catherine, I know you've seen that) without this film. If we do, it's not as good and consequently, I don't think we get all the rubbish (sometimes brilliant) movies that follow that basic, highly successful formula.
Jay
2021-12-29 04:54:18 +0000 UTCAnyone remember the movie "Dad" that Jack Lemmon made with Ted Danson? Mixed reviews, but I liked it - maybe you'd like to react to it, Cassie.
Michael Jung
2021-12-29 04:37:21 +0000 UTCOops - just realized you watched the original 12 Angry Men version where Juror #8 was played by Henry Fonda. Jack Lemmon did play Juror #8 in a 1997 remake - maybe you'd be interested in watching that? They made several other interesting changes in casting.
Michael Jung
2021-12-29 04:35:34 +0000 UTCI think "Love Nest" was the term used back then. Anyone else want to weigh in?
Michael Jung
2021-12-29 04:33:57 +0000 UTCOops - you're right. Henry Fonda was Juror #8 in the original black and white movie. I was thinking of a 1997 remake where Jack Lemmon took over Fonda's role
Michael Jung
2021-12-29 04:33:20 +0000 UTC"Adultering abode" - 😆 I would definitely call this a rom-com. If nothing else, it helped lay the foundations for many a rom com to follow. But you have to remember how controversial this type of thing was in America at the time. This would have been a hard film to sell and without Wilder helming the project, this film either winds up nowhere near as enjoyable or turns out annoyingly different, and is probably forgotten by 2021. Also, Jack Lemmon is amazing, one of the most watchable on screen actors that ever lived. You will be seeing more of him in the future, no doubt :) I love this film. Great pick, Mike!
Jay
2021-12-29 02:44:22 +0000 UTCoh I haven't seen that in about 30 years, but it's a fantastic film
PatCecil
2021-12-29 01:35:25 +0000 UTCVery good point! I was very disconcerted with McMurray’s character because I grew up watching My Three Sons and he was the quintessential “Dad” on tv!
Catherine LW
2021-12-28 19:22:45 +0000 UTCThis movie really puts a big goofy grin on your face to match the stars in the last shot of the movie.
MikeLL
2021-12-28 11:46:30 +0000 UTCIt Happened One Night really was ahead of its time. It was a different animal from the faster paced screwball comedies that were big at the time, but with a sharper tongue than the light-hearted-but-not-quite-comedy romances of following decades. It's a rom-com of a sort that really didn't become a genre until the 80s.
Robin T
2021-12-28 05:34:16 +0000 UTCI loved The Apartment. Never heard of the movie until AFI did a list of Top 100 movies of all time on CBS about 20 years ago as this movie made the list.
Shawn Kildal
2021-12-28 05:00:51 +0000 UTCI agree with Nero66. I would consider the movie It Happened One Night the original Rom Com. Directed by Frank Capra who also directed It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington among many others
Shawn Kildal
2021-12-28 04:54:24 +0000 UTCJuror #8 is Henry Fonda actually, not Jack Lemon
Shawn Kildal
2021-12-28 04:47:17 +0000 UTCThe irony of this all is that Fred McMurray (who played Baxter's two-timing boss) was the Tom Hanks of his generation and basically "America's Dad." He had a show called "My Three Sons" and starred in a lot of early live action Disney movies like The Absent Minded Professor. Might be interesting to see how you react to him in his more common "nice guy" roles since you saw him playing against type first.
Michael Jung
2021-12-28 04:10:42 +0000 UTCJack Lemon should be familiar to you - he's Juror #8 (the holdout) in 12 Angry Men.
Michael Jung
2021-12-28 04:05:10 +0000 UTCThis isn’t a rom com, exactly. It’s more of a cynical comedy - not much romance at all. For classic rom-coms from the golden age, you need Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story, or Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, Holiday, or His Girl Friday. His later thrillers have romantic and comedic elements too: North by Northwest, Charade, Suspicion, Notorious (no comedy there, just a dark romance).
Catherine LW
2021-12-28 02:40:46 +0000 UTCWell, this is my first time watching too. This is a fucked up movie. Whoever said it's a rom com is dead wrong. I suppose the subject matter made it risque for 1960 but it leaves a bad taste in the mouth today.
Carol_White
2021-12-28 01:16:39 +0000 UTCA true classic.
Raj K. Dixit
2021-12-28 01:04:21 +0000 UTCI wholeheartedly recommend It Happened One Night as well. It is dated but it still holds up. Gable is excellent! And this movie gave some inspiration for the Bugs Bunny character.
Kat Farlowe
2021-12-28 00:07:13 +0000 UTCThis is my first time watching this movie. Thank you, Cassie, for letting me join you for the experience. I’ve always known Fred McMurray (Sheldrake) in roles as a wholesome family man. He appeared in countless Disney movies from that era and was very memorable as Steve Douglas, for years in the sitcom My Three Sons. It was so interesting to see him play a darker character. It actually took me a bit to buy into the character of Sheldrake. Kat Farlowe has suggested an excellent list from Jack Lemmon’s career and I would add The Out of Towners as well! Happy New Year Cassie! Wishing you and your whole family the very best!
Michael McErlain
2021-12-27 23:16:21 +0000 UTCI truly hope she watches Mr Roberts. I’ve suggested it before. I think she’d love it.
Stephen Aech
2021-12-27 20:48:46 +0000 UTCJack Lemmon was such a wonderful actor! I think The Apartment is one of his very best roles. Some other excellent Jack Lemmon movies you should try are: Some Like It Hot (very, very funny with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe - also directed by Billy Wilder), Days of Wine and Roses (a gut wrenching film about alcoholism), The China Syndrome (with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas), and The Odd Couple (with Walter Matthau - one of the best comedies ever made). There are lots more but these, along with Mr. Roberts, which I think you have already seen, are my favorites. Oh, and your comment about the first Air B&B cracked me up!!!!!
Kat Farlowe
2021-12-27 19:04:29 +0000 UTCActually, the first movie that follows all the conventions of modern day rom-coms is “It Happened One Night” (1934) Directed by Frank Capra, it stars Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert. It’s the good old love/hate, have to pretend to be married in order to share a room, etc…🙋🏻♂️
Doubting Thomas
2021-12-27 19:00:34 +0000 UTCFor some reason, Jack Lemon reminds me of Alan Tudyk, or vice versa. Can you even picture a young Jack Lemon as Wash?
Jon Johns
2021-12-27 17:42:51 +0000 UTCThose guys were just…. butts, haha. Jeez what a potty mouth. It’s funny watching anybody young watch this. Most of everybody’s behavior in this was pretty standard for the times, and if you really break it down, not much has changed since this movie. It might not be as in your face, but it still happens. Most of our grandparents probably had relationships like this depending on their upbringing. This is one of the first older films I watched, I was sick the day it came on and didn’t feel like changing the channel and wound up enjoying it. I’ll second what others have mentioned since I’ve also brought it up previously and you should watch Grumpy Old Men and it’s sequel, it’s also much more a comedy than this.
Andrew Hogan
2021-12-27 17:13:24 +0000 UTCWatch Terms of Endearment with Shirley MacLaine.
Mark M
2021-12-27 15:32:13 +0000 UTCThere is a Broadway Show based on this movie called "Promises, Promises". I watched the revival in 2010 starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth.
Mark M
2021-12-27 15:27:52 +0000 UTCInto the night, classic Landis.
Jon Johns
2021-12-27 13:34:18 +0000 UTCI hope Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men are somewhere down the pipeline. Jack Lemmon is at his best with Walter Matthau by his side.
Skinny_Obelix
2021-12-27 13:29:21 +0000 UTCIt's really interesting to watch your reaction and frustration to one of the greatest films of all time. I haven't seen this classic for years and it's a joy to relive watching a movie for the first time through you.
G
2021-12-27 12:42:39 +0000 UTCThere is a sub genre of romcoms, that are "nice guy" romcoms. Examples: Same Time, Next Year (married man and married lady having an affaire). Seems Like Old Times (married woman hooking up with ex). Dead Zone (making love with your ex fiancé, after you are married). They are all going to cause blanket shields! Stay with something safe like "Into The Night 1985"
Allen Bond
2021-12-27 11:59:11 +0000 UTCUuhhh... that was neither a Rom nor a Com. I love old movies and I like Jack Lemmon... but I have to say I didn't like this one very much. It was actually a chore to get through. You said it yourself Cass... "I don't know if I like any of these characters!" If you want a good Rom-com with Jack Lemmon... "Grumpy Old Men". :)
Doug Fisher
2021-12-27 10:56:32 +0000 UTCI hadn’t seen this in about twenty years. I’d forgotten how good it is. Billy Wilder is just such a master, it’s easy to take him for granted. His dialogue is so good, and the pacing so uniformly excellent, you kind of forget you’re watching a movie, which is what the best movies do. There was also nobody better at milking comedy from tragedy, or at letting the characters stand on their own. There’s no self-pity here, just suffering people looking for relief in all the wrong places. I love Lemmon’s speech about his bungled suicide attempt. It’s matter-of-fact and wickedly paced, and it’s so ironically bemused, but you can still see the whisper of shame. Wilder wrote this at a time when most people had not yet figured out that the pursuit of upward mobility, this notion of the American dream, was soulless and broken. They went from their home box to their car box to their office box, and they didn’t worry about true human connection, or they set aside single-use, secret, plastic encounters. They were trading humanity to get ahead. We still do this, we just do it in other ways. The Apartment is still relevant, and the boxes are still killing us.
Brian Harris
2021-12-27 10:33:04 +0000 UTCI know this has been suggested by many but a great old film is Mr Smith Goes to Washington. And if you want to go super old one of the best comedy films of all time is The General with Buster Keaton. It's a silent film but it is worth a try.
Doug R
2021-12-27 09:56:55 +0000 UTCThe Cheating Castle.....ROFL!!!
Doug R
2021-12-27 09:50:52 +0000 UTCDidn’t own this one so I just ordered a copy.
djKENTO
2021-12-27 09:35:05 +0000 UTC"Is this the original Airbnb"? Another classic Cassie-ism. Oh, when she finds out what that apartment is used for...
Mr Jordan
2021-12-27 07:47:34 +0000 UTCDoes it remind you a little bit of the Series "Mad Men" ? Enjoy
Joe Aschenbrener
2021-12-27 07:19:36 +0000 UTCI am so happy that you've opened yourself up to older films! There is such a wealth of brilliant work in them!
Lamar Savage
2021-12-27 06:45:18 +0000 UTCCan't wait to watch! It's been quite a few years since I watched this.
Allen Bond
2021-12-27 06:39:58 +0000 UTC
