Review of Metropolitan (1990) by Gareth B — 13 Feb 2011

Metropolitan is a film which is all about dialogue, often at the expense of an actual plot. If you just look at this film from a distance, it is as plotless as J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye"; A middle-class university student tags along with a group of New York's rich socialite bourgeoisie during the Christmas debutante ball season, and attends a variety of parties.

But deep down, it's about a lot more than that, with many themes lurking at the edges of the scene. It's about the collapse of the old-fashioned upper classes, and how they try (and fail) to adapt to a changing world around them.

And beneath all that, it's simply about one guys love for a girl and vice versa. As the director Whit Stillman said, it's really a film about the downwardly mobile. Edward Clements plays Tom Townsend, who with his flaming red hair and handsome face already naturally stands out from the rest of the crowd, but the role is played so modestly and naturalistically that it always feels genuine.

Perhaps it would be unfair to call this a 20th Century approximation of Jane Austen, but there are many elements in this comedy of manners which harken back to make it feel similar to an Oscar Wilde play.

Most of the great lines come courtesy of Nick Smith (Chris Eigeman), whose razor-sharp wit is ever apparent, making sly jokes at every opportunity. A lack of cognent plot aside from the convoluted, Shakespearean love triangle is a disappointment, but when the dialogue in a film is this engaging, convincing and often hilarious, it doesn't matter much.

Metropolitan is a very clever film, and unlike many films today, it does not pander to the viewer. Moreover, it knows you've got a brain and it demands you use it. One thing is definitely for certain: There isn't much else like Metropolitan.

For this reason alone, it deserves considerable praise.