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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with DAN CARRIER
Published: 10 July 2008

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in Oscar-winning New York farce The
Apartment, which has been re-released

Lemmon’s aid makes 1960s farce a classic

THE APARTMENT
Directed by Billy Wilder
Certificate PG

THIS rerelease of the 1960 Oscar-winning classic has ace director Billy Wilder calling the shots in a brilliant New York farce.
Starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, as loveable leads as you could wish for, the story goes like this: Lemmon is downtrodden Mr Baxter, a clerk in a nondescript office who does his best but never gets noticed by those who hold the reins of promotional power.
To make matters worse, not only do his bosses consider him invisible, he is desperately and unsuccessfully making eyes at lovely lift girl Miss Kubelik (Maclaine).
Yet he has a career ace up his sleeve – an apartment that he lends to his managers to use for their extra-marital liaisons.
Soon he finds himself increasingly nudged out of his own flat as he hands the keys over for their afternoon dalliances, and in return gets glowing appraisals, which he hopes might help him get the girl.
As we all know, the course of true love never runs smoothly, and when poor Baxter is bullied into accepting a fifth apartment user – his vile boss Sheldrake – things begin to unravel, especially when he discovers who Sheldrake is romancing behind his wife’s back.
It’s a joy to watch snappily dressed screen legends go about their business, and there are some lovely asides – Baxter’s neighbours see the bevy of different women arriving each night and assume he is a bit of a player. Lemmon’s handling of the situation is brilliant.
This was the film Wilder made after Some Like It Hot. It will make you lament the fact this makes rom-coms nowadays look vulgar, pale and lifeless.

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