I though I could familiarize myself with Whit Stillman's oeuvre easily over the course of a long weekend. I was wrong. After foraging in three video stores and a library, I had only a copy of Metropolitan to show for it, which was initially unfortunate for me--I had been gunning for The Last Day of Disco (that's right: let's blame Yo La Tengo on this pursuit of mine). I'm not so sure my only finding Metropolitan was such bad luck: It's a fantastic film and, because I've watched it four times since Thursday, I probably would have had to return Last Days of Disco or Barcelona to the video store before watching them anyway.<br /><br />Nominated for a writing academy award, Metropolitan is a literate and witty film--a comedy of manners not unlike those penned by Wycherly or Wilde--that leaves its audience with a cadre of rich kids during the débutante season one New York winter. Precocious and pretentious and sometimes arrogant, these college-aged lads and lasses are nevertheless incredibly likable and real. They speak of Trilling and Tolstoy and the urban haute- bourgeoisie; they philosophize; they gossip. In other words, they behave like my friends and I did during our undergraduate years (the difference being, of course, these kids are actually part of the urban haute bourgeoisie; my friends and I were plotting their overthrow). <br /><br />They also fall in love. In a way, there's nothing new in the central affaire d'amour. Audrey loves Tom; Tom loves Serena; Serena doesn't appear to love anyone. It's a triangle whose hypotenuse and legs we all know well, yet Stillman imbues it with a freshness through deft wordplay and real feeling for his characters. As I said, we have all seen this story many times before, but we have not seen it done through words. Tom wins Audrey with wit, intelligence, and a daunting vocabulary; Audrey piques Tom's interest with her adulation of Austen. They fall in love, ultimately, through their conversations, which is, after all, how we all fall in love. There's no meet-cute here and no physical passion. It's not unlike Before Sunrise in that respect. Moreover, Tom and Audrey are really very wonderful people (though Tom has several faults). <br /><br />I'm making an ensemble piece sound like a love story. Though the tale of Tom and Audrey holds center stage, in terms of the narrative, there are others to encounter and enjoy. Charlie philosophizes about the decline and fall of the UHB and pines for ideals that fell out of fashion after World War I; Nick despises titled aristocracy, believing them to be the scum of the earth; and Rick, a baron, is incredibly slimy, giving credence to Nick's assertion. There are also the women, who, unfortunately, do not leave much of an impression (aside from Audrey, of course). <br /><br />Metropolitan is also blessed with one of the most realistic representations of New York I've encountered. Like Taxi Driver or After Hours or Manhattan, Metropolitan makes its audience feel like it is walking the streets of the city. It doesn't rely on cheap establishing shots of notable buildings. I really only know the City from the ground and this film's exterior milieu is one I know from my travels. Metropolitan's interiors are also interesting, especially Tom's family's apartment, which is cramped and claustrophobic, befitting his middle class background. <br /><br />Overall, this film, an exploration of human, group mentality and love, is a very warm, charming gem.