Bright Young Things is a 2003 British drama film written and directed by Stephen Fry. The screenplay, based on the 1930 novel Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, provides satirical social commentary about the Bright Young People—young and carefree London aristocrats and bohemians—as well as society in general, in the interwar era. Plot The primary characters are earnest aspiring novelist Adam Fenwick-Symes and his fiancée, Nina Blount. When Adam's novel Bright Young Things, commissioned by tabloid newspaper magnate Lord Monomark, is confiscated by HM customs officers at the port of Dover for being too racy, he finds himself in a precarious financial situation that may force him to postpone his marriage. In the lounge of the hotel where he lives, he wins £1,000 by successfully performing a trick involving sleight of hand, and a character called "the Major" offers to place the money on the decidedly ill-favoured Indian Runner in a forthcoming horserace. Anxious to wed Nina, Adam agrees, and the horse wins at odds of 33–1, but it takes him more than a decade to collect his winnings. Meanwhile, Adam and Nina are part of a young and decadent crowd, whose lives are dedicated to wild parties, alcohol, cocaine, and the latest gossip reported by columnist Simon Balcairn, known to his readers as Mr Chatterbox. Among them are eccentric Agatha Runcible, whose wild ways eventually lead her to being committed in a mental institution; Miles Maitland, who is forced to flee the country to avoid prosecution for his homosexuality; Sneath, a paparazzo who chronicles the wicked ways of the young and reckless; and Ginger Littlejohn, Nina's former beau, who ingratiates himself back into her life, much to Adam's dismay. The pastimes of the young, idle rich are disrupted with the onset of a new world war, which eventually overtakes their lives in often devastating ways. Cast Production Bright Young Things marks the feature-film screenwriting and directorial debut of actor Stephen Fry. Fry also makes a very brief cameo appearance as a chauffeur. The assistant directors are Cordelia Hardy (first), Matthew Penry-Davy (second), Fiona Gosden (co-second) and Jonny Benson (third). Jo Crocker, Stephen Fry's sister, worked on the film as his personal assistant . The film proved to be the last for John Mills, who appears briefly in the non-speaking role of an elderly party guest enthralled by the effects of cocaine. The character of Lord Monomark is based on Lord