• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

  (Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)

  Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Vintage comedy about sex in the city feels dated.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  Though C.C. Baxter eventually does the right thing, there is a certain old-fashioned sexism of women as pliant man-toys and office sex objects, with no outside lives or destinies of their own besides being wives or mistresses/secretaries. While protagonists are overwhelmingly white, filmmakers do suggest the ethnic diversity of New York City with some apparently Jewish characters and some Asians (the latter, however, aren't allowed any dialogue). The skyscraper corporate/big-business environment is portrayed as cutthroat and dispiriting to anyone who doesn't want to play dirty (or violate ethical codes) to get ahead.
• Role models:

  C.C. Baxter is either the nicest guy in the world or the most spineless pushover -- and maybe a mix of both. But he is the most likeable and respectful character, and he makes a noble sacrifice at the end. In her adulterous relationship with Sheldrake, Fran doesn't seem to feel very guilty about what she may be doing to Sheldrake's family, wife, and children, and she attempts to kill herself (we find out that a heartbroken C.C. did too, in the past). Except for Baxter's landlady, women in general in the (pre-feminist) picture seem pretty hopelessly dominated by powerful and disloyal men.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  One punch.  An attempted suicide via pill overdose and a few other suicide tries.
• Sex:

  Even though the whole plotline revolves around extramarital affairs, nothing is ever shown, and the dialogue about nonstop lovemaking is all euphemistic. When the hero, Baxter, is suspected by neighbors of having sex with two women in one night, for instance, it's talked about as a "double-header." Baxter refers to himself at one point as a "sexpot" -- and that's as intense as it gets.
• Language:

  One use of "damn" in the Gone With the Wind sense ("He doesn't give a damn about me").
• Consumerism:

  Mention of the old Hollywood movie Grand Hotel and the Broadway musical (later filmed) The Music Man.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Drinking at a raucous office party, on dates with floozy-ish women, and alcohol in a bar as a remedy for the blues. The main character smokes, and we see a brief ad for cigarettes (the brand not specified) on TV, back when such things were commonplace.

What Parents Need to Know

About The Apartment

Families Can Talk About