I had not heard of this film until its silver anniversary silver screen re-release. Evidently, I had mixed thoughts on whether to see it; not only did I wait another five years, but I had marked "Not Interested" on Netflix and still had it in my queue.
In Manhattan, an odd confusion leads a group of young adult aristocrats to invite undergraduate stranger Tom to their party. Tom is not rich; he's just rented a tuxedo for a debutante ball, and his feelings about the rich are as mixed as mine were about this viewing. Nevertheless, he goes for it and fits in quite well, making a new set of friends. They even turn out to have a few acquaintances in common already. But the socialites' interactions do have their hurdles (not always involving Tom), especially when it comes to relationships, and sometimes they want to get away from each other.
Who else is in this self-described rat pack? Perhaps most prominent is Nick, who provides value in helping Tom pass for elite without spending much money, but his forthright cynicism crosses the line now and then. Sally hosts the parties. Charlie talks philosophy more than anyone, often coming across as an educated fool. He crushes on the somewhat withdrawn Audrey, who crushes on Tom, who partly reciprocates but also crushes on ex-girlfriend Serena, who's seeing womanizer Rick, whom Nick openly hates. (Being focal and limited in funds doesn't make Tom the most virtuous.) Fred is a lightweight when it comes to drinks. Cynthia and Jane are present, but we don't learn much about them.
I haven't named any actors because none of them went on to more popular works, and many didn't act again. Nor had I heard of anything else by the first-time director, Whit Stillman. These people didn't do bad jobs, just...adequate. If there's one thing Stillman should have changed, it's the tendency to have scenes fade out prematurely; was there overly aggressive editing like in Mr. Arkadin?
Before watching and at least a little way in, I got the impression of a Woody Allen piece. Consider the setting, the old-school background music, the high ratio of dialog to plot or action, the variety of intellectual topics, the lines attempting to channel Oscar Wilde, and the protagonist's loose mores on romance if not sex. If you want Allen-type fare while boycotting the scandalous guy, this would make the short list of substitutes.
It appeals to me more than any European comedy of manners, not that that's saying much. Occasionally identifying characters with people I've known may have helped, tho that also meant too little exaggeration for strong humor. Most of the time, I contented myself with finding it moderately interesting.
A picture like this can't help being a cult classic. And like most such that I've tried, it was worth my viewing once, but I haven't joined the cult.
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