Metropolitan's Urban Haute Bourgeoisie
The son of a politician and an impoverished debutante,
Whit Stillman was raised on the periphery of elite circles that he would later slyly critique in his films.
Metropolitan, which was nominated for the 1990 Academy Award for Best Screenplay, tells the story of Tom Townsend, a young man who stumbles into a coterie of Manhattan's young elite. He discovers that men trying to enter this world have it easy - all they need is one tuxedo and some smarts, and they obtain access to a world of fabulous social occasions.
Set in the midst of debutante ball season,
Metropolitan portrays a fading, Wharton-esque culture of bowties and balls, and the director's infamous wit, as spoken through the character of Nick Smith, lampoons, but also sympathizes with the characters who cling to this culture.
As Nick laments,
"Rick Von Slonecker is tall, rich, good looking, stupid, dishonest, conceited, a bully, liar, drunk and thief, an egomaniac, and probably psychotic. In short, highly attractive to women."
Ah, looks like some trends never change.
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