Metropolitan (1990)

Unusual subject matter handled with competent self-assurance.

A witty, urbane portrait of Manhattan's debutante scene.

As low-budget as the film looks, Stillman overcomes financial limitations by providing a learned script and eliciting polished performances.

It's wearing surprisingly well, yet is touchingly dated.

It's the beautifully chiselled dialogue -- counterpointed by near-static camerawork and a nicely mannered acting style -- that remains the chief attraction.

Stillman's film depends on strong dialogue and language, his humor is submerged in the text and is played deadpan by his actors; no wonder some critics have compared him to the Gallic Eric Rohmer

None of Stillman’s endearing characters quite fits their prescribed social context, and in its exhilarated final movement, Metropolitan finds an exit out of the stifling UHB salon.

...Stillman's vision and words last as memory, as a look back at a more innocent time, as a thought stretched luxuriously into sarcasm, some cynicism, and many simple and sublime moments.