The Apartment

Movie review by Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media
The Apartment Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Vintage comedy about sex in the city has drinking, smoking.

NR 1960 123 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

age 13+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 4 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Apartment is a screen classic that features an attempted suicide via pill overdose and a few other suicide tries (or actions that are mistaken for suicide tries) more or less played for laughs. The main focus of the plot is sex and adulterous affairs -- but in keeping with censorship of the era, it's lots of carefully-coded talk. Nothing explicit is shown. There are, however, intervals of heavy drinking and smoking. It may be an uphill battle getting some younger viewers who can't tolerate anything not in color to sit still and watch this talky dramedy.

Community Reviews

ahmed aiman 99
ahmed aiman 99 Adult
May 4, 2019
age 11+

A Timeless Gem!

Few comedy films can be as tender and heart-warming as they are dark and cynical; fewer manage to shockingly wholly reveal their darkness and melodramatic core while still offering belly laughs. The Apartment wouldn't have the right to be dubbed a Comedy, if it weren't for Wilder's shrewdly light touch. While I.A.L. Diamond's screenplay (co-written with director Billy Wilder) couldn't have dealt with its extremely heavy underlying themes (infidelity, melancholy, exploitation, oppression, loss of self-respect and indignity, etc.) in a both more subtle and brilliantly sophisticated way, it's Billy Wilder's astute and meticulous direction that made this film a very unique dark comedy that feels as if it was released today. Any actor could have easily fallen victim to the dark and sad core of the story that deftly prevailed at some point, exactly as C.C. Baxter have been crestfallen when he realized that he lives in an oppressive world where everybody pursues his/her own self-interest. But Jack Lemmon, only through his eyes, injected pathos into the role when the movie took its very dark turn. I have been always impressed by how Williams captures the heartbreak and emotional devastation in the climactic scenes of her movies. I bet that Michelle Williams has learned that from Shirley MacLaine! For MacLaine here delivered an astonishingly remarkable and complex performance as the likable Fran Kubelik, who has a lot underneath her cheerful demeanor. I won't give any details about her character, but it goes without saying that she is one of the most complex cinematic characters that can give you an impactful insight into depression. it's no surprise that Kubelik has influenced many iconic female movie characters. A timeless comedy classic like no other, The Apartment is one of the absolute finest Best Picture winners that's pretty much perfect in every respect — directing-wise, script-wise, acting-wise. I just hoped if it ends on a bit sadder note. (9.5/10)

This title has:

Great messages
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
StepMomSterToo
StepMomSterToo Adult
June 26, 2010
age 15+
I really like this movie. It has a lot of great acting. It's not a kid's movie, and while there's nothing really upsetting about it, I don't think kids need to be immersed in sexual plots. Suicide is a tough kid's issue as well. Better left for the adults.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE APARTMENT, meek C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a lowly statistician for an insurance company in a giant Manhattan office building with a workforce bigger than some whole towns. C.C. ingratiates himself with his superiors because he happens to be a bachelor living in an apartment with no roommates. His bosses thus get him to spend most nights out -- even if he's just standing in the street in the rain, or sleeping in Central Park -- as they cheat on their wives in his suite with their floozy secretaries or bar girls. Ironically, thanks to all the female activity, C.C.'s neighbors believe he's a tireless Casanova, rather than the lonely milquetoast he really is. C.C. strikes up a genuinely warm friendship with the skyscraper's elevator girl, Fran (Shirley Maclaine), who seems to be classy, smart, and a real find compared to all the other girls. But Fran is actually the latest secret lover of the company president, Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). The married CEO bribes C.C. with promises of promotions and prosperity -- if C.C. will similarly lend Sheldrake the apartment as a love-nest getaway with Fran.

Is It Any Good?

This film was a multi-award winner, perfectly cast from the top down, with Lemmon sublimely conflicted as the passive and unassertive C.C. Baxter, a most untypical movie "hero." Still, while some critics have rhapsodized that The Apartment only improves with age, many kids and some parents may find it as dated as the stated $85 per month (!) rent C.C. pays for his notorious flat. Even with the top-quality scripting, acting, and ambiance of big-city sophistication, The Apartment feels like an artifact from 1950s America -- when sex was kept more private, feminism virtually unknown, divorce was avoided at all costs, and loyalty to one's company (where you were expected to stay a lifetime) a golden rule. All outmoded today. Still, the moral quandary remains compelling, and you really don't notice that the movie runs two hours plus, which is long for a comedy. Young viewers, however, might find the whole thing to be on the talky side.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the choices C.C. makes in The Apartment. How realistic is his behavior in the end? What would you do if you were in C.C.'s shoes?

  • Ask if the script still has relevance today, in a modern climate of movies like American Pie -- a Hollywood in which a character who refuses to help his buddies "score" and/or cheat on their girlfriends would probably be considered a total jerk. Does The Apartment still mean as much as it once did?

  • Discuss how the movie revolves around sex without showing any. Everyone keeps his or her clothes on, and there are hardly any rude words in the sharp dialogue. Would The Apartment have been as effective if the talent had brought out the full arsenal of nudity, swearing, bathroom humor, and all the other benefits of modern R and NC-17-ratings?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Some Like It Hot Poster Image

    Some Like It Hot

    One of the wildest romantic farces ever.

    age 11+
  • Double Indemnity Poster Image

    Double Indemnity

    Dark, dialogue-heavy classic of grim suspense.

    age 12+
  • Vertigo Poster Image

    Vertigo

    Must-see Hitchcock thriller for any classic movie bug.

    age 13+
  • Pillow Talk Poster Image

    Pillow Talk

    Hudson and Day's Sex and the City, '50s-style.

    age 14+

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate