The Apartment

Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.

Now regarded as one of the great American comedies, The Apartment was actually divisive on release — some critics celebrated its blend of sharp wit and genuine feeling, while others found its treatment of infidelity morally objectionable or cynically dressed up as sophistication. Time has settled the debate firmly in Wilder's favor, but the original split is worth knowing.