BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS

SYNOPSIS:
Immediately before the war, the bright young things – as the ever intrusive press dub them - of the English upper class live a life of party, party, party. It’s sex, drugs, and …. the Charlston. Adam (Stephen Campbell Moore), one of the well bred group but completely broke, is hoping to marry Nina (Emily Mortimer). Every time he seems about to find the money to do so, he is thwarted by fate, while his friends are sinking further into the abyss of a whirl of parties and frolics. They shock the older generation with their jazz, their speed and their recklessness. But the day of reckoning is nigh …

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Adapted with verve and directed with great style and energy by Stephen Fry, Bright Young Things combines satire with pathos, romance with hearts of stone – and wit with observation. Economically written yet completely satisfying, the screenplay makes Adam the pivot for a carousel of characters around him, all pretty eccentric in their very English way, whether the bright young things of the title or the shocked elders.

At the beginning, Adam is just another romantic hero, but by the end of the story we see a more complete character, one who has not only compromised his own self respect, but also come face to face with war. His is a journey symbolic of the era and of the changes that all the bright young things went through.

This is Evelyn Waugh at his bitter sweetest, caustic yet forgiving. Performances from the high calibre ensemble cast is uniformly excellent, although I have a niggling misgiving about Dan Aykroyd’s press baron. (Stephen Fry has probably called in every favour to bring together some of Britain’s thespian royalty for this, and a couple of ring-ins from the US.) Peter O’Toole steals the film with a couple of scenes as the dotty old father to the would-be bride, signing his cheques (intended to help young Adam marry) by names like Charlie Chaplin or Greta Garbo. Emily Mortimer is sparkling as the fay Nina, slightly eccentric as they all are.

Like the extra-energised Fenella Woolgar as Agatha, a wacky but wonderful creation straight out of London’s moneyed Knightsbridge before it had a tube station. And the 94 year old John Mills makes a heroic cameo sniffing cocaine for the first time on screen You’ll have to see the film to understand. And you should.

Review by Louise Keller:
Exuding the vibrancy of Moulin Rouge with the rhythms of The Cat’s Meow, Bright Young Things is fast, playful and captivating. It’s a more enticing title than Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Vile Bodies, which actor, writer, comedian and now film director Stephen Fry has adapted into a splendid screenplay, capturing the essence of the era and the characters. Fry has chosen a visually rich and emotionally dense story for his directing debut, exploring the shallow, glamorous and fickle world of celebrity that sits like frothy icing on a melting pot of concealed emotions.

Set in the 20s and 30s, we meet a group of beautiful people caught up in the privileged circle of society, where life is but one party after another. They are young, idle and come from rich families, but lack any idea of the real value of money, other than it is unheard of to be without it. Early in the film, the question is asked: ‘Are you a butterfly or a bee? Do you flit around or make honey?’ Our central character Adam is a bee, but he is in love with a Nina, who is a butterfly, and without the promise of the payment for his completed but now Customs-confiscated novel, the love affair is an uncertain one. Nina never dares to admit, even to herself, that she loves Adam, and as for love-making – ‘I’d rather go to a dentist… but might get fond of ‘love’ in time… like olives.’ It’s a whirlwind of decadence, as the social butterflies drink from decanters, snort cocaine as a matter of course, dress in outlandish clothes, and behave like the spoilt rich kids they are, prompting a feeding frenzy to the media vultures.

But the real vultures are the insatiable public, which hungers for any sensational tid-bits to fill the gossip columns. Yes, Waugh’s sentiments about celebrity and the media have not lost their relevance one little bit, and we can read the parallels. A hand-picked and delectable ensemble cast – many from theatre backgrounds – make this lively and highly colourful tale amusing and compulsive viewing. Stephen Campbell Moore and Emily Mortimer make an irresistible couple as the on-again, off-again lovers, while a string of top talents like Fenella Woolgar, Stockard Channing, Dan Ayckroyd, John Mills and Simon Callow are excellent. Jim Broadbent’s drunken major (and general) whose intermittent appearances are of the utmost anticipation, is most entertaining, but the real scene stealer is Peter O’Toole, whose turn as the eccentric Colonel Blount is unforgettable.

There’s plenty of bite below the froth, and visually, the film is a treat with its plush costumes and extravagant settings. This is a magnet of a film – you can’t help but be drawn to it.