No. 93: The Apartment

The Apartment (1960)

Starring: Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray, Shirley MacLaine

Director: Billy Wilder

Awards: 5 Oscars, including Best Picture

I’m a huge Billy Wilder fan - I’ve seen pretty much every film he’s ever made. Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Stalag 17, Some Like It Hot…the list goes on and on. I only have one problem with Billy Wilder films: Fred MacMurray.

Well, let me explain that. See, I grew up watching all of MacMurray’s really nice Disney films, like The Happiest Millionaire, and Follow Me Boys. So when I finally saw Double Indemnity, I was in shock. Nice role model Fred MacMurray playing a bad character – how could it be? I thought that was horrible, and then I saw The Apartment. Thanks, Billy Wilder. You just ruined my happy childhood.

I’m not saying The Apartment is a bad movie – in fact, I think it’s a very, very good movie. It showcases Billy Wilder’s dark humor, and balances romance and comedy, with a touch of sadness. All three stars (Lemmon, MacLaine, and MacMurray) are perfectly cast, and plunge deep into their characters’ personalities.

C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) works at a huge insurance company and has a little secret – he allows the company’s managers to use his apartment to conduct extra-marital affairs. Baxter’s boss, the callous Jeff Sheldrake, (MacMurray) discovers the scheme, but instead of shutting it down, uses it himself to meet with his latest flame, elevator operator Fran Kubelik (MacLaine). Only one problem – Baxter’s had a crush on her forever. On Christmas Eve, Sheldrake returns to his family, and Fran’s left in the apartment. Depressed, she attempts suicide, but Baxter finds her and in the course of her recovery, realizes he loves Fran, and also realizes that Sheldrake’s only using her. Now, because of “the apartment," Baxter’s about to be promoted – but will he pick his job, or love? He picks love, and Fran picks him. Happy ending!

The movie is great because of the characters. Lemmon as Baxter displays his usual frantic neat-freakness, but brings greater emotional depth to his character then his other comedic roles. MacLaine is tear-wrenching as Kubelik, who can’t get over Sheldrake, no matter how bad he acts. And MacMurray as Sheldrake is equal parts slippery and sly – the perfect modern villain. When Billy Wilder cast the movie, he picked the best.


In short, if you like:

* Billy Wilder films

* Dark, melancholy humor

* Sarcastic and witty dialogue

* Wonderful movie references (Grand Hotel’s playing on TV, The Music Man is in theaters…it’s fabulous.)

* Jack Lemmon straining spaghetti through a tennis racket

* Life-changing conversations over gin rummy

* A wonderful cast of Yiddish-accented characters living in Lemmon’s apartment building


…then you’ll love The Apartment. Watch it. Really.

Coming up next, No. 92, A Place In The Sun (1951). Yessssss! I have to admit, I love this movie, and I can’t wait to write about it. Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, this film is an unabashed soap-opera – with a good plot and great actors. Stick around and watch it!

No. 94: GoodFellas

GoodFellas (1990)

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci

Director: Martin Scorsese

Awards: Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Pesci

I was at our local video store the other day, renting GoodFellas. While waiting, I had a conversation about the movie with the guy working the counter. His advice? “Take your vitamins before you watch it.”

That sounded super negative. But they were just cautionary words to make sure my brain was…prepared? After watching it, I can honestly say you do need a little moment of preparation. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty profane and violent. But once you steel your mind to watching it, believe me - you’re going to like it.

Henry Hill (Liotta) has always wanted to be a gangster. The local mobsters take him under their protection, and Hill works his way up the mob chain, starting with petty theft and moving on to bigger heists with friends Jimmy Conway (DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Pesci). When a heist goes sour, Hill’s drug-dealing career starts catching up with him and eventually, Hill is captured in a massive narcotics bust. He stands trial, and when he commits the ultimate betrayal by ratting out his friends, he’s forced into witness protection with his family. Oh, such a happy ending.

So why is this movie good? Well, I could just say it’s a Scorsese movie, and not say another word. But I’d rather discuss all the details. One thing I love about the movie is how connected you feel to the characters. You root for the underdogs, you gasp when someone you like gets whacked…you feel like these people are your friends (albeit pretty scary friends).

Another thing Scorsese excels at is carving out a niche for each character. In the mobster movie genre, it’s all too easy to depict gangsters as pizza-eating, machine gun-toting caricatures. And you do see a bit of that in the movie. But the way that it’s done is unlike any other representation. The characters all have their own quirks and temperaments, and by the end of the movie, you’ll never be able to lump gangsters into one mold again.

In short, if you like:

* Martin Scorsese

* Lotsa oozing blood

* The most delicious-looking Italian food ever. Period.

* Multiple types of killing - if you’re into variety

* Really beautiful camera work - freeze frames, insanely long tracking shots, you name it!

* The soundtrack - it's brilliant how the music adapts and changes according to each decade, like the shift from Italian nightclub music to Eric Clapton.

* Shaving garlic with a razor (One of the best scenes in the film.)

…then you’ll love GoodFellas. And if you don’t, well, who needs you? Just kidding. Try it out!

Next up: No. 93, The Apartment (1960), a Billy Wilder film starring Jack Lemmon and Fred MacMurray. I’m really excited for this one - I love both the director and the stars’ other films, so stick around and read about it!