The romantic-comedy genre has been done to death in every possible way. Everything from stretching its storytelling into sci-fi or just pushing boundaries on its humor or romance, at this point, the genre seems to be tried but true. However, one film that has truly set the standard for how a rom-com should be tastefully done is Billy Wilder's The Apartment. While this film is not exactly outright about focusing on its romance, the satirical comedy aspects sure do shine through and there is an undeniable love that pulses through every character. The characters are incredibly lovable and exhibit personalities not typically seen in this time period, which makes this story overall so compelling. Along with the incredibly quick, witty direction from Wilder and the fantastic performances from the entire cast, this film has become one of my new classic favorites and one that has raised the bar for how to make a film in the neverendingly popular genre.
In order to climb the corporate ladder, C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) lends out his apartment for his bosses and company executives to use on certain nights and spend with their mistresses. He finds himself in trouble, however, when he begins to fall for the elevator girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) and gets caught up in a web of relationships, lies, and mistrust that will test Baxter's loyalty to the extreme. Billy Wilder's script that he co-wrote with I.A.L. Diamond is absolutely fantastic and brings so much more than just the typical type of dialogue and plot that can be found in many rom-coms. The Apartment is perfectly comedic and genuinely romantic and proves itself as a contender for one of the best films of all time in either of those genres. Wilder's insanely fast and clever direction takes his script and brings it to the next level. What could have easily been a much more spaced-out comedy waiting for its audience to laugh instead becomes a no holds barred riot with physical gags and punchlines coming at gunshot speed. I adore the comedy throughout this movie and how it all plays together. Not one detail about the relationship between Baxter and Fran is missed and everything comes together in the most satisfying way. The humor shared between the two is fantastic and their individual wants and personalities shine through very easily to make their chemistry all the better. What stood out to me most, however, was Wilder's use of satirizing that era's marital normalities. Even back then, Wilder knew that sneakily meeting up with a mistress against the wishes of one's wife was morally wrong and he is not afraid to make fun of that entire concept. That theme is what fuels this film's humor and the irony that comes out of some of the characters' mouths is just too rich. Wilder is a master at writing comedy and the way that he pokes fun at something that is taboo and he doesn't agree with is impressively progressive.
Along with how hilarious and heartfelt this movie was, the performances from Lemmon and MacLaine and their developed relationship really top this entire film off. Both of these artists are incredibly talented in their own right and also incredibly funny in their own ways as well. Lemmon might be one of my favorite comedic actors of all time as every role I have seen him in fits his goofy and often happy-go-lucky persona so well. His character is the perfect embodiment of that and with his sometimes naivety that surrounds Baxter comes genuine care for the people around him. This film was not at all exploitative when it had every chance to be and I am so pleased that Wilder was able to write a male protagonist that was actually decent to the women and other characters around him. MacLaine plays the biggest part in their relationship, however, as Fran who is deciding where in her life she should be looking for love. Even though she is initially written to be torn between men and lovestruck in all the wrong places, her development and epiphanies that she has throughout this film are amazing. She may come off now as a stereotypical, manic, depressive girl looking for love but this kind of archetype was definitely not seen back in 1960. Fran personified this characteristic and this gave MacLaine a lot of room to play with her character in comedic and abruptly dark ways. And once she realizes that she deserves so much better than what had become routine for her, The Apartment becomes immensely filled with love. MacLaine embodies Fran in such an iconic way that I will not soon forget as she makes up half of the relationship in this film that is actually authentic in its conclusion. Wilder may not have given his audience all that they wanted from a generic romantic-comedy but as I have mentioned, this is far from a generic romantic-comedy.
I never once thought that a film of this time period could be so raucously hilarious and sharply satirical at the same time. I hate this phrase more than anything but Wilder's The Apartment was truly ahead of his time in terms of how it handled its characters and the authentic outcome of its story. I absolutely adore this movie and did not expect it to be so hilarious but yet again, I am taken aback by the wondrous writing and directorial talents that Wilder possessed.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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