9 Best Jack Lemmon Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 13, 2026

Jack Lemmon built a decades-long partnership with director Billy Wilder and co-star Walter Matthau, moving easily between anxious comic energy and real dramatic weight. Glengarry Glen Ross turns desperate salesmen on each other, Missing searches for a son during a South American coup, The China Syndrome uncovers a cover-up after a near-meltdown, and Save the Tiger weighs arson to save a failing business. The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, The Odd Couple, Days of Wine and Roses and The Fortune Cookie round out the list.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Desperate real estate salesmen resort to increasingly unethical tactics to close deals and keep their jobs.

Directed by James Foley · 1h 40m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Missing (1982)

TMDB ★ 7.6

An American father searches for his son, who disappeared during a violent coup in Chile.

Directed by Costa-Gavras · 2h 03m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The China Syndrome (1979)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A television reporter uncovers a dangerous cover-up after witnessing a near-meltdown at a nuclear plant.

Directed by James Bridges · 2h 02m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Save the Tiger (1973)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A disillusioned garment manufacturer contemplates arson and moral compromise to save his failing business.

Directed by John G. Avildsen · 1h 40m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Odd Couple (1968)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A neurotic neat freak moves in with his slovenly divorced friend, creating constant domestic conflict.

Directed by Gene Saks · 1h 46m

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Fortune Cookie (1966)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A cameraman's minor injury is blown up by his conniving brother-in-law, a lawyer, into a massive lawsuit.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 05m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus · Rent: Apple TV Store, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A married couple's shared alcoholism spirals into addiction, destroying their family and careers.

Directed by Blake Edwards · 1h 57m

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Apartment (1960)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 94% Metacritic 94

An ambitious insurance clerk lends out his flat to philandering executives in exchange for promotions.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 06m

Won 5 Oscars26 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Some Like It Hot (1959)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 95% Metacritic 98

Two musicians disguise themselves as women to escape the mob after witnessing a gangland killing.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 03m

Won 1 Oscar11 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

9 Best Jack Lemmon Movies

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Missing (1982)

The China Syndrome (1979)

Save the Tiger (1973)

The Odd Couple (1968)

The Fortune Cookie (1966)

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

The Apartment (1960)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

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