Brief Synopsis ( from Netflix)C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) has his future mapped out -- all he needs to do is cozy up to the top feeders in the corporate food chain. But his fast track to the executive suite gets short-circuited when he falls for one of the bosses' girlfriends. The Apartment features top-notch performances from Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning five, including Best Picture.
Bryan
"Ya know, I used to live like Robinson Crusoe; I mean, shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand, and there you were."
This was a very good comedy. I am a fan of Jack Lemmon, and this oddball comedy is quite enjoyable. I was certainly amused, and enjoyed the screening. It's worth considering the fact that it could amuse me, even though I was born decades after it was made. The script has a distinctiveness that sets the film apart, dialogue-wise, and I think I liked it. It was different, but ballsy. I'm sure some of what I considered to be intentionally goofy wordage was actually simply the generation gap, but because it was already written to be a little beyond realism, the passage of time only intensified the desired effect.
This movie forced me to try and rank comedies, and I found it much more difficult than other genres. There are so many approaches to comedy, it is hard to pick which one ranks above another. Slapstick, satire, banter, black humor and more all have their place, and comparing comedies across these lines seems as difficult to me as comparing The Apartment to Spartacus. I guess I've always approached different kinds of humor as different genres in and of themselves.
That said, I don't think this is Lemmon's best comedy. I'd put Some Like it Hot ahead of this (not just because of Marlyn Monroe, but it helps), and I think I'd put How to Murder Your Wife ahead of this as well, comedy-wise.
Final Thought- This is good, and would go above 50 on my list of the greatest Comedies of all times. I don't think, however, it manages to break into my top 100 overall. It's good, and worth seeing, but not quite elite.
Bryan
"Ya know, I used to live like Robinson Crusoe; I mean, shipwrecked among 8 million people. And then one day I saw a footprint in the sand, and there you were."
This was a very good comedy. I am a fan of Jack Lemmon, and this oddball comedy is quite enjoyable. I was certainly amused, and enjoyed the screening. It's worth considering the fact that it could amuse me, even though I was born decades after it was made. The script has a distinctiveness that sets the film apart, dialogue-wise, and I think I liked it. It was different, but ballsy. I'm sure some of what I considered to be intentionally goofy wordage was actually simply the generation gap, but because it was already written to be a little beyond realism, the passage of time only intensified the desired effect.
This movie forced me to try and rank comedies, and I found it much more difficult than other genres. There are so many approaches to comedy, it is hard to pick which one ranks above another. Slapstick, satire, banter, black humor and more all have their place, and comparing comedies across these lines seems as difficult to me as comparing The Apartment to Spartacus. I guess I've always approached different kinds of humor as different genres in and of themselves.
That said, I don't think this is Lemmon's best comedy. I'd put Some Like it Hot ahead of this (not just because of Marlyn Monroe, but it helps), and I think I'd put How to Murder Your Wife ahead of this as well, comedy-wise.
Final Thought- This is good, and would go above 50 on my list of the greatest Comedies of all times. I don't think, however, it manages to break into my top 100 overall. It's good, and worth seeing, but not quite elite.
Jason
That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise.
What makes a good comedy is not trying to be funny, just being funny. I think this movie succeeded at that better then any movie I've seen in a long time. Every line was delivered with excellent timing, but nothing seemed forced. The dialog was witty and clever, but not over the top. The plot was ridiculous, but not unbelievable. This movie is precisely what a situational comedy should be.
Jack Lemmon is a name that I've heard since I was little. Though I've always known him as an old man, a grumpy old man to be exact. This is the first time I've ever seen him in a movie that came out before 1990, and I was impressed. He plays the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation perfectly. If I had to compare him to an actor today it would probably be Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents not Zoolander) and he is head and shoulders above him in comedic timing and acting ability.
Final Thoughts- As of right now this movie is going on my list, but I believe that there will be other movies that are better, yet similar enough that they both don't need a spot. I'm having trouble with it's position though. It's no higher then 50, but other then that I'm not exactly sure.
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