34. The Apartment
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34. The Apartment (1960) - Billy WilderA man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue. Ah, the great Billy Wilder. Back in the day, people were asking of the legendary director... What on Earth are you going to do to follow-up on something as insanely popular as Some Like It Hot? Well he answered everyone by making a better movie and one that was just as bit as popular. The great Jack Lemmon is C.C. Baxter, the typical office drone who his neighbours believe spends every night of the week with a different women, as they can hear sexual noises through the bedroom walls each and every night. Unfortuantely for Baxter, that isn't the case as he lets out his bedroom most nights of the week to people with more power in his office, for the hope of benefiting his job prospects. Most of the time that promotion never comes, and it's his inability to say no which makes his life miserable. He is a nice guy at heart but he is used terribly by those with more power and the dark theme of the movie is that suicide is always seen as a viable option for him. One day though, he meets Shirley McClaine in an elevator and god damnit there is hope for old Baxter yet. He asks her out on a date... and she reluctantly agrees as though she doesn't have the same attraction Baxter has for her... she thinks he's a pretty decent guy. And how could she say no, really? Baxter is so enthusitic about asking her. So when she doesn't turn up to the date, he of course is devastated. He later finds out that the women was already at his apartment with another man, his boss no less... just one of the many illicit affairs that Baxter lets out his apartment to every week.