THE APARTMENT (1960)

Another holiday season is upon us, so once again we're watching "Christmas-adjacent" movies throughout December, beginning with Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960). 

First, we're having a preliminary discussion in which we try to get to the true meaning of Christmas according to the Unenthusiastic Critic. Is it about giving, or receiving? Should one celebrate on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day? Real tree or fake tree? White lights or colored lights? And, along the way, we're discovering that Nakea's family has a lot of enemies, and wondering: Who the hell has a favorite reindeer?

Then, we're sitting down for Nakea first viewing of Wilder's Oscar-winning classic The Apartment, starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.

A serious comedy about loneliness, infidelity, predatory men, workplace harassment, and attempted suicide? Sounds like the perfect Christmas movie for The Unenthusiastic Critic. Shut up and deal.

Program

0:00: Prologue: from The Apartment
0:44: Preliminary Conversation: Christmas Questionnaire
26:20: Interlude: Jack Lemmon on The Apartment
27:22: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
33:55: Interlude: Original Trailer
35:42: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion
1:16:20: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:17:18: Outtake

Notes and Links

—Movie Reviewed: The Apartment (dir. Billy Wilder, United Artists, 1960).
—Interlude from "Jack Lemmon on The Apartment," AFI.
—Links and Resources: "54 Christmas Writing Ideas for Kids," JournalBuddies.com; Review by Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com; "A Look Back: Billy Wilder's The Apartment," FlyingBearFilmMorgue. 
—Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation to support the podcast at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are very welcome.)
—Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY 3.0

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