#56 The Apartment - should be known as The Shack of Sin

1960. dir. Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray.

Seen it before? Parts of it...on RETRO Encore

According to this movie men are cheaters...and this movie exploited that and Jack Lemmon's character, C.C. Baxter...but I couldn't decide who the bad guys were...at first I thought, well, they all are! I mean, the 'higher ups' who were cheating on their wives were scumbags, that's for sure, but I couldn't decide if Baxter was the ultimate dirt bag for letting them use his apartment (knowing what they were doing) to kick start his career track or if he was a loser who thought helping the execs would get him the status - regardless how often they displaced him from his apartment (read - stepped on him).
I get the feeling that the latter is more the explanation. He didn't seem to have any friends in the movie, and no the execs using him didn't count. After all he did have his own heart to follow - taking an interest in Shirley MacLaine's character, Fran. She was cute, likable and friendly. And when he found out about what was going on with her and her boyfriend he backed off, sort of. And he even took care of her when she was heartsick. So he couldn't be all that bad right? But he knew what was going on. And he stocked up the fridge with fruit, spirits and champagne to keep the men and their girlfriends entertained, and he took the rap for them saying he was the Lothario of the building.
So what do you call a guy who does right sometimes but allows others to do wrong all other times?
Watch it again? I liked the resolution enough to watch it again in the future.
Own it? Sure
Couldn't help but see - Dennis Quaid's face every time MacMurray was on screen...and while we're at it, I couldn't think of anyone else to cast in a modern day remake as C.C. Baxter except Topher Grace...which is hilarious since the two of them played in a movie together already...Sam's vote for Fran's role is Zooey Deschanel.