"Shut up and deal."
Posted: February 14th, 2008, 7:02 pm
The sub-heading for this forum is "Isn't Romantic Comedy Redundant?"
It's Valentine's Day and the movie I chose to watch is one that fills that prescription...with a terrific dose of bitter cynicism.
Billy Wilder's "The Apartment."
I haven't met a Wilder movie that isn't in my fave top fifty.
I'm not a big Jack Lemmon fan, but his pairing with Wilder makes me forget that. His performance as C.C. Baxter is a treat to observe- with all it's "theatrical trickery."
As a matter of fact, the whole movie has a slightly surreal "staged" look to it...with the MGM backlot/soundstages transforming us to the fabulous '50's in NYC. Imagine meeting someone in that cozy booth in a chinese restaurant with the piano man playing "your" song as "you" arrive and depart. Talk about romantic...
What a reunion for Wilder and Fred MacMurray! I'm so glad he took the part of such a cold, calculating jerk. Was this before or after "The Absent Minded Professor?" Major bonus-hearing MacMurray utter the line, "Can you dig?"
To see Wilder, you'd never imagine him to be such a "hip" guy. Put him and I.A.L. Diamond together and the poison pen shoots daggers to beat the band.
Despite the Christmas/New Year's Eve settings, I found this to be an excellent pick for Valentine's Day...a "sweet and sour" sentimental love story.
And that's how it crumbles...cookie-wise.
It's Valentine's Day and the movie I chose to watch is one that fills that prescription...with a terrific dose of bitter cynicism.
Billy Wilder's "The Apartment."
I haven't met a Wilder movie that isn't in my fave top fifty.
I'm not a big Jack Lemmon fan, but his pairing with Wilder makes me forget that. His performance as C.C. Baxter is a treat to observe- with all it's "theatrical trickery."
As a matter of fact, the whole movie has a slightly surreal "staged" look to it...with the MGM backlot/soundstages transforming us to the fabulous '50's in NYC. Imagine meeting someone in that cozy booth in a chinese restaurant with the piano man playing "your" song as "you" arrive and depart. Talk about romantic...
What a reunion for Wilder and Fred MacMurray! I'm so glad he took the part of such a cold, calculating jerk. Was this before or after "The Absent Minded Professor?" Major bonus-hearing MacMurray utter the line, "Can you dig?"
To see Wilder, you'd never imagine him to be such a "hip" guy. Put him and I.A.L. Diamond together and the poison pen shoots daggers to beat the band.
Despite the Christmas/New Year's Eve settings, I found this to be an excellent pick for Valentine's Day...a "sweet and sour" sentimental love story.
And that's how it crumbles...cookie-wise.