| | | The Criterion Collection
Features: DVD
One of the most the most significant achievements of the American independent film movement of the 1990s, writer-director Whit Stillman's debut, Metropolitan, is a sparkling comedic chronicle of a middle-class young man's romantic misadventures among New York City's debutante society. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Stillman's deft, literate script and hilariously high-brow observations mask a tender tale of adolescent anxiety. SPECIAL FEATURES: New, restored high-definition digital transfer . Audio commentary by director Whit Stillman, editor Christopher Tellefsen, and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols. Rare outtakes and deleted scenes. Optional English subtitles for the deaf and heard of hearing. A new essay by author and film scholar Luc Sante.System Requirements:Features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer Audio commentary by director Whit Stillman, editor Christopher Tellefsen, and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols Rare outtakes and deleted scenes Optional English subtitles for the deaf and heard of hearing A new essay by author and film scholar Luc Sante More! Running Time 98 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE
"Like chamber music, Metropolitan is sprightly, intimate... a smart comedy of conversation." Rita Kempley, Washington Post
"A film Scott Fitzgerald might have been comfortable with... wonderful dialogue!" Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Chosen for inclusion in NY Times Critics compilation book called "One of the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made" Stephen Holden, NY Times
Editor's Note
A chronicle of the social scene of a group of young Park Avenue socialites and their vanishing debutante scene. Into thier midst comes an outsider, a radical from the socially alien west side. But, because of an escort shortage he is welcomed into their group by the dominant, arrogant leader and his charming girlfriend. Academy Award Nominations: Best (Original) Screenplay.
Plot Summary
Tom's a quiet, down-to-earth college student who usually keeps to himself. But when he's recruited by a group of debutantes (a wealthy clique short on male escorts for Yuletide season pageants) he winds up a regular deb date. Before long, Tom's tight with this haughty crew and finds himself fascinated by their erudite conversations, posh lifestyle and impeccable taste.
| Features | Audio Commentary | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Deleted Scenes | | Essay By Author And Film Scholar Luc Sante | | Interactive Menus | | Outtakes | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16:9 TVs |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Image |
| Release Date: 2/14/2006 |
| Running Time: 98 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1990 | | Catalog ID: 162 ODDVD | | UPC: 00715515017022 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.66:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Independent Spirit (1991) | | | Carolyn Farina, Nominee, Best Female Lead | | | Whit Stillman, Nominee, Best Screenplay | |
Sundance Film Festival (1991) | | | Whit Stillman, Nominee, Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic | |
Oscar (1991) | | | Whit Stillman, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen | |
Independent Spirit (1991) |  | Whit Stillman, Winner, Best First Feature |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...This just about perfect little picture...is a triumphant anomaly: a rude comedy of manners..." 07/12/1990 p.42USA Today
"...Stillman has a disarming ace....[METROPOLITAN] engrosses and charms..." -- 3 out of 4 stars 08/17/1990 p.4D New York Times
"...A comedy of manners of a very high order....The actors are a uniformly engaging lot..." 03/23/1990 p.C18 Los Angeles Times
"...Stillman's gift for quiet, scrupulous observation grows on you....Stillman is a pointillist, working in the tiniest, most meticulous degrees..." 08/10/1990 p.F10 Entertainment Weekly
"[T]his witty yet wistful dream of a film smartly zeroes in on the universal desire to belong." -- Grade: A- 02/17/2006 p.61-63 Sight and Sound
"Very well-written, affecting and often funny....With an almost sociological eye, Stillman explores the world of Manhattan's preppie debutantes and their escorts." 09/01/2006 p.89 Washington Post 6 of 10
There is something tragic and tender between the lines of this otherwise not exactly hysterical comedy. Stillman certainly has captured a world we don't see too often. It's also nicely ironic that this movie about the highfalutin was done on a shoestring -- the characters are often seen walking out of the Plaza Hotel, but are never filmed inside it. But in his microcosmic zeal to identify this world, Stillman leaves Metropolitan a one-joke movie. Rather than transcend his narrow frame of reference, Stillman keeps his characters doing little more than exchanging witty repartee. Tom's dramatic "invasion," which results in a tritely drawn boy-meets-girl combination, does little to stir things up for the movie. Stillman's social backdrop becomes the main attraction -- by default. - Desson Howe
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