Metropolitan

Year: 1990 (USA)

Genre: Comedy/Satire

Directed: Whit Stillman

Stars: Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols, Allison Parisi, Dylan Hundley, Isabel Gillies, Bryan Leder, Will Kempe, Ellia Thompson

Production: Allagash Films

In prepping to write a review on Whit Stillman's indie talk-fest Metropolitan (1990), I glossed at the "Memorable quotes" page on IMDb and found some pretty amusing quotes. It's a bad sign when reading the dialogue is infinitely more interesting than hearing and seeing it on the screen. Yet such is the folly of many movies released during the indie film renaissance of the 1990’s. While some directors tried to keep things visually interesting, as is the primary goal of a visual medium, directors like Whit Stillman, and Kevin Smith went the Woody Allen except with an increase in verbosity and a decrease in deeper meanings.

Yes deeper meanings from this guy

Metropolitan concerns itself with a group of "downwardly mobile" Park Avenue college students who meet up in an apartment after attending debutante balls to discuss philosophy, literature and economics amongst each other. It’s more interesting than it sounds but not by much. Within the group blossoms an admiration between an outsider and admitted socialist Tom (Edward Clements) and shrinking violet Audrey (Carolyn Farina). Chris Eigeman, Taylor Nichols, Allison Parisi, Dylan Hundley and Isabel Gillies roundup the rest of the pack.

Earning an Oscar nod for its original screenplay, Metropolitan delivery is ultimately muzzled by lazy directing, amateurish acting and lackadaisical plotting. Nearly all the characters are milquetoast and bland and their multiple stories and conflicts pile on yet lack any real tension. The dialogue while clever is stilted, abrupt and overtly formal stunting the actors from giving their words any subtext. Here's a notion: film is a visual medium therefore instead of telling the audience what a character is thinking maybe you should show it.

The film might have made more of an impact if it took more satirical jabs on the entitled class of self-described "Urban Haute Bourgeoisie" but while the satire is present, it at points becomes too slight that a less savvy viewer might think the film promotes social stratification and bourgeois snobbery. Many American conservative blogs have pegged Metropolitan as a conservative film that typifies the values of laissez faire capitalism and gilded age thinking. It’s odd in a way that a film whose dialogue is so terse can make such a muddled point. But then again, in the words of one of the film's characters "I've always planned to be a failure anyway."

Actors awaiting their scene backstage...oh wait nevermind

Final Grade: F