Film Forum

Directed by Whit Stillman
U.S., 1990 
Starring Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Taylor Nichols, Christopher Eigeman
Approx. 98 min. DCP.

“Then Tom (Clements), a quiet, middle class student with a distaste for privileged wealth, is unexpectedly adopted by a group of debs and escorts calling themselves the Sally Fowler Rat Pack, his pride and prejudice are rapidly eroded, not only by the glam sophistication of the soirées he attends in hired tux, but by the articulate, contentious conversations in which he takes part. Audrey (Farina), especially, seems a soul-mate, but Tom still nurses secret feelings for old flame Serena (Thompson), a socialite with too many strings to her beaux. Will he ditch the deb scene, find true love, or merely make it through the season unscathed?” – Geoff Andrew, Time Out (London).

Reviews

“IRRESISTIBLY FUNNY.”
– Janet Maslin, The New York Times
 
“Ironic, touching and wickedly funny… it’s hard to imagine a more impressive debut.”
– Mike McGrady, Newsday
 
“Whit Stillman has made a film Scott Fitzgerald might have been comfortable with, a film about people covering their own insecurities with a façade of social ease. And he has written wonderful dialogue, words in which the characters discuss ideas and feelings instead of simply marching through plot points as most Hollywood characters do.”
– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"Stillman films these rounds of romance and jealousy, old mind-sets and new friendships, as scintillating dialectical jousts in which verbal blows take the place of action and leave lasting emotional wounds.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker