Overview
A man's quest for success leads him into a web of romantic entanglements and corporate deceit.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- melancholic
- tender
- holiday viewing
- date night
What critics said
Critics broadly celebrate Billy Wilder's ingenious blend of cynical social comedy, tender romance, and genuine pathos, supported by an exceptional script and performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Baxter lends his apartment to executives seeking private affairs in exchange for influence over his promotion.
Fran's relationship with the older, married executive Sheldrake contrasts with her more emotionally reciprocal connection to Baxter.
Baxter's Central Park West apartment is circulated among executives for extramarital encounters and determines his workplace status.
The vast insurance office and Baxter's small apartment repeatedly frame him as an interchangeable employee and socially isolated tenant.
Films like The Apartment, and why
The Odd Couple
Shared bittersweet romantic comedy, workplace cynicism, infidelity, and emotionally vulnerable central performances.
Irma la Douce
Shared Billy Wilder wit, morally complicated romance, urban sophistication, and a blend of comedy with serious emotional stakes.
Sabrina
Shared classic Hollywood romantic comedy structure, lonely urban characters, social compromise, and tender emotional resolution.
Days of Wine and Roses
Shared black-and-white urban realism, workplace alienation, compromised ambition, and romantic yearning.
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Release Date
- 1960-06-21
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (2787)
Cast
- Jack Lemmon
- Shirley MacLaine
- Fred MacMurray
- Ray Walston
- Jack Kruschen
- David Lewis
- Hope Holiday
- Joan Shawlee
- Naomi Stevens
- Johnny Seven
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Apartment about?
- A lonely insurance clerk rents out his apartment to ambitious executives and discovers that career advancement cannot substitute for genuine love.
- What is The Apartment like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Apartment as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Apartment violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Apartment as mild.
- What did critics think of The Apartment?
- Critics broadly celebrate Billy Wilder's ingenious blend of cynical social comedy, tender romance, and genuine pathos, supported by an exceptional script and performances.
- Which films are like The Apartment?
- Films with a similar feel include The Odd Couple, Irma la Douce, Sabrina, and Days of Wine and Roses.
- How long is The Apartment?
- The Apartment runs 126 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Apartment?
- In United States, The Apartment streams on Philo, YouTube TV.
