Metropolitan (1990)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Whit Stillman

Writer:

Whit Stillman (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Finally... A film about the downwardly mobile.

Plot:

A group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up.

Plot Keywords:

Upper Class | Apartment | Debutante | New York | Socialite

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Carolyn Farina	...	Audrey Rouget
Edward Clements	...	Tom Townsend
Chris Eigeman	...	Nick Smith (as Christopher Eigeman)
Taylor Nichols	...	Charlie Black
Allison Parisi	...	Jane Clark
Dylan Hundley	...	Sally Fowler
Isabel Gillies	...	Cynthia McLean
Bryan Leder	...	Fred Neff
Will Kempe	...	Rick Von Sloneker
Ellia Thompson	...	Serena Slocum (as Elizabeth Thompson)
Stephen Uys	...	Victor Lemley
Roger W. Kirby	...	Man at Bar (Dick Edwards)
Alice Connorton	...	Mrs. Townsend
Linda Gillies	...	Mrs. Rouget
John Lynch	...	Allen Green (as John Lynch)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, New York, USA

Company:

Allagash Films

Trivia:

Will Kempe was originally cast as "Nick Smith". There is even an outtake of him in the role on the 2005 DVD.

Quotes:

Charlie Black: I can't believe you don't have a license.
Tom Townsend: Of course I don't: I live in Manhattan.

Movie Connections:

Features The Yule Log (1966) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tell Me

Absolutely delightful!

The film is compelling not because of a riveting story, special effects, or manufactured suspense, but because of sharply written characters whose personalities drive the story, rather than vice versa, extensive knowledge of its subject, and beautifully written dialogue.

The dialogue, by the way, is great not only for its intelligence and wit, but also because it instantly identifies a proudly unique writer. We can tell Mamet, because of his fractured phrases and rhythmic line readings. We know Smith because of his rapid-fire, fiery and profane writing, as well as his sensitivity. Tarantino is recognizable because of his pop-culture references. Whit Stillman writes characters who talk, often defiantly, in complete sentences, and say exactly what they mean, whether they're expressing their emotions, or shooting to kill.

Whit Stillman was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for "Metropolitan" in 1991, and with "Barcelona" and "The Last Days of Disco", he's on a winning streak.