GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

JLRMovieReviews We open on an bachelor apartment. We know this, because the place is trashed and littered with glasses, champagne bottles, cigarette butts, and something that looks like cigarettes all over the place, from the night before. We also know this, because this is aptly named "Bachelor Apartment." The bachelor in question is Lowell Sherman, whose other screen credits include What Price Hollywood?, the original "A Star is Born" movie, and his silent movies where he usually played the villain with the pencil-thin mustache. Here, he tries to stop playing the game, after finding it very tiresome having to keep track of who comes and goes through his revolving door. But it seems he decided just this morning. It makes the viewer wonder if this decision is one he makes all the time. But, in the meantime, the, er, um, ladies, yes well, they don't know of his conversion to sainthood and still show up unannounced, notably Mae Murray, in an unforgettable and saucy role, who can be seen in one scene in a see-through nightgown. Really! You can see.... Her husband suspects she's cheating and it's driving him crazy, He's going to find the @#$*& or die trying. Meanwhile, through a series of events, Irene Dunne enters the picture as a stenographer who doesn't like fast workers for bosses. He dares her to take this well-paying job, which she does. Will she fall for his charming ways? Will Irene's clean reputation rub off on him and make him see the light? Only I know, and you've got to see this very well-written and racy Pre-Code movie to find out.

chuck-reilly Ground-breaking director/actor Lowell Sherman was the main creative force behind 1931's "Bachelor Apartment," but the real star of the film is the up-and-coming Irene Dunne. This was one of her earliest roles in Hollywood and it's readily apparent watching her here that she was destined for greatness. Her easy-going charm and light comedic touch are evident throughout and although the film is quite dated, her performance holds up very well. As a matter of fact, Sherman's bachelor role (Wayne Carter) is perfectly suited for his acting talents and he's certainly Ms. Dunne's equal. The plot is somewhat "racy" for the times; a rotating bevy of available women stroll in an out of Sherman's apartment to his utter bemusement. He's too busy sipping cocktails and counting his assets to take any of them seriously---until a Miss Andrews (Dunne) arrives on the scene. The chemistry between the two is unmistakable and their repartee is well-written and delivered with just the right amount of understated sexual tension. It's the kind of dialogue one doesn't get to hear very often in the usual 1930's movie. Sherman, unfortunately, didn't live long enough to become a household name. He died in 1934 at the age of 49. His last directing assignment was for the Technicolor "Becky Sharp", but he was gone before major production got underway. Irene Dunne, of course, became one of Hollywood's greatest actresses and outlived nearly all of her contemporaries. For fans of the films of the 1930's, "Bachelor Apartment" is worth the viewing time if it ever pops up on TCM or if one wants to rediscover Lowell Sherman. He was a great talent who never really got his due. Like so many from the early bygone days of movie-making, he's largely forgotten now. It's not fair, but that's Hollywood.

zpzjones I really don't know why Mae Murray didn't continue on with her film career. She's quite sexy in this RKO picture. I first saw this in a crystal clear copy on the old AMC cable channel. A number of Lowell Sherman films, of which he either directed, starred in or both have shown up on AMC in newly struck prints in the past. This being a far cry from the old C&C television released prints of the 50s & 60s which were murky at best. This movie is basically another situation/drawing room type of comedy of which Sherman was showing so much adeptness at. Hopefully, this like Royal Bed, will show up on DVD in that nice print more or less. Mae Murray plays a sassy character similar to those then being played by the younger Jean Harlow over at the MGM. Having been a silent star Murray's voice modulated acceptably and her cross over to sound wasn't as harsh as let's say John Gilbert or Clara Bow. Then again Murray had been a stage performer(like Sherman) & Ziegfeld girl prior to entering silents in 1916 so she was no stranger to dialogue. Her silent movie sexiness & vivacity is toned down here but is in evidence notably in the bedroom scene. The bedroom scene is particularly striking as Murray wears a gown that can only be described as being 'nearly diaphanous'. She walks towards the door after calling for Sherman's character and her still fine figure at 42 is very much in shape. Irene Dunne is so much less sexy than Murray even though she's ten years younger. Dunne is already looking schoolmarmish years before her major successes with Cary Grant later in the decade. I must confess that I watched & liked this for Sherman's directing & acting and most of all for Murray's appearance. Having seen her beautiful face in so many silent film stills I wanted to see her in an actual movie(she also appeared in Sherman's next movie and her last titled HIGH STAKES). I really don't know why Mae Murray didn't continue on with talkies. She was delectable and still quite beautiful and even more beautiful than some of the up-n-coming new stars. Watching Mae Murray in a talkie one sees that she's a beautiful concoction of Jean Harlow & Mae West at best. She certainly could've adapt to talkies' situation-dramas or comedies. This being in contrast to her over the top silent film fantasy queen image such as in THE MERRY WIDOW or CIRCE THE ENCHANTRESS. Though beautiful as she was in those silents. But more than likely Mae sensing that she was aging and that talkie picture making environment certainly changed from the freedom of the silents chose to bow out like many a silent star. Also her fabled temperament with directors like Stroheim & Von Sternberg hampered her employment chances with the studios as she aged and that reputation she couldn't shake. Her later life after these early talkies was quite sad as she lived in poverty and perhaps seclusion ending up in obscurity before her passing in 1965. Something similar to Clara Bow whose crossover to sound was more harrowing. Curiously, Mae Murray was offered the now famous role of Norma Desmond first before it went to Gloria Swanson. Perhaps the role hit too close to home for the then 60 year old Murray with lines like "...we had faces then" a quote from when Norma is referring to bygone silent stars. But of Mae's few films(silent or sound)that are even shown on cable or television BACHELOR APARTMENT appears very occasionally on Turncer Classics and usually in the dead of night. Hopefully there's a revival of Lowell Sherman & Mae Murray performances and their talkies together BA & HIGH STAKES along with Sherman's THE PAYOFF and Mae's talkie debut PEACOCK ALLEY(she also did a silent of this) can be released on DVD.

ccthemovieman-1 I didn't expect much from this film when I first saw it, not knowing who Lowell Sherman was and figuring it would be extremely dated.I found out the film provided some good laughs, some clever sarcastic dialog, realistic characters and a certain charm at the same time.Sherman might have been a bit too old to be playing the role of playboy but he carried it off, being enjoyable to watch. It was fun seeing such a young Irene Dunne, too, complete with the early '30s short hairstyle. Unlike most of the women pictured in this film, Dunne played her typical high-principled character, reflecting the classy lady she was off screen, too.