Plot Summary: C. C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is the resident doormat at his office. He once did something nice for one of the other employees and because he's too spineless to say no, now his apartment is the resident motel for the sleazy executives of his company. At first, he's getting nothing from it, but soon enough, he gets promoted. And, in the meeting with the personell officer in charge of his promotion, he is offered two tickets to The Music Man in exchange for use of his apartment. He invites Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine?), the cute girl-next-door of an elevator operator to come with him. She has plans, but hopes to cut them short. Guess who the plans are with... Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray?), the personel officer. They go back to the Apartment and exchange Christmas presents, leaving Miss Kubelik upset enough to attempt suicide with Mr. Baxter's sleeping pills. He returns, finds her comatose, and with the help of the nebech of a doctor next door, saves her life. They fall in love, but is she still really in love with Sheldrake? How will it all end up?
Review: This movie's fault is in trying to be too much. It's trying to be a romance, a drama, and a comedy all wrapped up into one, and though it has very powerful moments as all three, it felt at points lacking in a clear focus. Acting was exceptional all around, but far and away the best performance in the film came from Miss Shirley MacLaine?. She ran the gamut of emotions in a very short time period and all with exceptional clarity of character. Visual imagery was also very effective, especially the long row of desks that make up Consolidated Life. And oy, the neighbors! In retrospect, I should've made a JewFlix? category! :-)
See it for:
Rating: Four out of five stars. The moving last couple of scenes make this movie, so don't give up!
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