Another holiday season is upon us, so once again we're watching "Christmas-adjacent" movies, beginning with Billy Wilder's Oscar-winning comedy 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

For links, show-notes, and other information, please go to unaffiliatedcritic.com.