The Apartment
The Apartment
Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 3, 2025
Seeing as Billy Wilder is a major blindspot for me, I went into this not really knowing what to expect. I assumed it would be a cute Rom-Com—and it certainly is that. But thematically, this story is much more about the transformation of C.C. “Buddy Boy” Baxter (Jack Lemmon), a corporate drone that’s continually pressed to sacrifice his morality in order to climb the corporate ladder. At first, Baxter is all too happy to turn a blind eye to the happenings in his apartment, but when he finds Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) near death in his bed when returning home one night, he begins to realize that morality is what makes us human. Lemmon and MacLaine are adorable in this all-time classic.