One of those classics I've never seen, but I have already seen. Because this story has been done many times since. Since I know the story, the movie has to lose some of it's effectiveness. I can't appreciate it possibly being a "fresh" idea (if it was in 1960).
Jack Lemmon plays Baxter, who is some sort of accountant or something at a big NYC company. Somehow or other his apartment has become the destination for any supervisor looking to cheat on his wife. Seems like these guys should just do it like Don Draper, get another apt, but I digress. Because of Baxter's amenable attitude, he quickly climbs the corporate ladder and catches the eye of Sheldrake, the head guy, who also happens to need the apartment.
Simultaneously, Baxter attempts to start a relationship with a cute elevator woman Fran Kubelik, played by Shirley MacClaine, who seems to be "unattainable." Of course, we quickly find out she's unattainable to the other horndogs because she's been sleeping with the head horndog, Sheldrake. And Sheldrake starts using Baxter's apartment to bang Ms. Kubelik.
Lemmon plays the nice guy throughout and eventually (spoiler!) wins the girl, though they never kiss. Sheldrake gets kicked out of his house by his wife when she finds out he's been cheating. Not because Fran said anything, but because Sheldrake idiotically slept with his secretary, dumped her but kept her as his secretary, then fired her for telling Fran that he's been banging more than just her and his wife. Obviously a man who wanted to get caught. I'd say this is hard to believe, but there are people this stupid. Not me, but others.
Random thoughts:
I feel like I'm missing out on something, either something racist or just some generalization being made, with every other person in the apartment building fitting a Jewish stereotype. Is that just the section of New York or what?
Ray Walston, excellente.
Shirley MacLane. Good looking back in the day with the short dark hair. Red hair doesn't work so well.
Wow, Jack Lemmon is a fucking stalker. "I know where you live and that you had chicken pox when you were 8." Someone thought this was good flirting?
Halfway through the movie, I didn't want the happy ending, but they brought me around towards the end.
I enjoyed the movie, but don't think it's worth the hype it seems to get. Maybe if I had a film class telling me what I missed that is so great. As it stands, it's an entertaining, fluffy romantic comedy. Might be slightly darker than usual, but I never thought any of the characters were in danger.
It's also tough to swallow the plot from a realism standpoint, mostly because, while I find Lemmon very likable, I don't see how his character would be attractive to a woman, especially a woman like Ms. Kubelik, who is obviously attracted to men of power. Lemmon is too polar opposite of Sheldrake. In the context of the movie I suppose I could believe Fran wises up to Sheldrake, walks away, then just goes to Baxter as a friend. But I don't buy that as a lasting relationship.
I'm just assuming the production at the time was tops, since it's Billy Wilder and this is a "greatest movie of all time." Acting only gets a 2 because I don't like the style of acting from this time period. It never feels natural.
Teaser: got another love triangle movie to review this week, with a nigh identical situation but an opposite, equally hard to swallow ending.
First Viewing: 3+2+2+2+2 = 11