capone666 Bright Young ThingsThe difference between London and New York circa 1920s was British flappers drove drunk on the left side of the road. Luckily, the young folks in this drama have cocaine to sober them up.During the twenties, the well-to-do English youth threw elaborate booze and narcotic filled parties.Involved in the shenanigans are struggling writer Adam (Stephen Campbell) and his soon-to-be wife (Emily Mortimer).But before they can marry, Adam needs to claim horse-race winnings from an eccentric Major (Jim Broadbent).To make ends meet, he ghostwrites a gossip column expounding the daily dalliances of his friends (Michael Sheen, Fenella Woolgar), to the pleasure of his editor (Dan Aykroyd)A well-acted glimpse at England's self-indulgent post-WWI climate, Young Bright Things manages to show the perils of being young and rich as much as the pearls.Besides, it's better to party when you don't need a nurse to do a keg-stand.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.com

cameron42 I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The story is lively and great, the dialog quick,witty and fabulous, darling. The performances are outstanding, particularly Stephan Campbell Moore, David Tennent, James McAvoy and especially Fenella Woolgar, who plays her supporting role brilliantly. Emily Mortimer's beauty makes her acting a non-issue, but she is perfect in her portrayal of the fickle love interest. Stephen Fry's direction pulls it all together in such a delightful way that I felt as if I was one of the bright young things tagging along from party to party, race course to race course, bomb-drop to bomb-drop, and home again.

robert-temple-1 This is a wonderful evocation of the lost world of pre-War London Bohemian high society, based on the novel 'Vile Bodies' by Evelyn Waugh. It is of course intended to be a pastiche, and Stephen Fry's ability to stop it every time just as it is about to stray into 'high camp' is a model of directorial restraint, with actors who could easily all have become out of control if given free rein. One of the most spectacular performances in the film is that by Fenella Woolgar, whose portrayal of an elitist aristocratic Bohemian who eventually goes mad is done to utter perfection. Fry was able to do this film and get these amazing performances because he really does know this kind of people, and he and his actor friends (yes, they were all friends, including Sir John Mills who does not speak) were able to fine-tune the performances to absolute perfection. The old saying 'It takes one to know one' can in this case be altered to: 'It takes one to show one.' Fry does not hesitate to show the behavioural excesses, revolting hypocrisy, and sickening aloofness and indifference to reality of the 'bright young things' in this film. It is a morality tale, but thoroughly entertaining and brilliantly realised. A triumph, frankly.

bob the moo The more things change the more they stay the same. London in the 1930's and the social scene is bustling. Adam is a writer of ambition but when his book gets confiscated by HM Customs he finds himself writing for Lord Monomark's paper as gossip columnist Mr Chatterbox. This involves him going to as many parties as possible and mixing with the rich bright young things of London society. While Adam attempts to get the money together to marry his girlfriend Nina he follows the ups and downs of this group.I have never read the book from which this came so I only came to this film as one comes to any other film and therefore had no expectations of what it should be or would be. The film follows the fortunes of the 1930's equivalent of the It crowd – those without jobs who seem to live of money from somewhere to just continually party and appear in the papers. As such the narrative relies heavily on the characters and I must confess I didn't find many of them interesting enough to really engage me. That said the plot still works because the characters are lively and flamboyant enough to be interesting and amusing. The multi-talented Fry takes pleasure in showing us how things are no different now than they were then – the public gobbles up tabloid gossip, the society parties are full of outrageous behaviour, sex and drug taking. With a modern eye it is fun to watch this although it perhaps isn't enough to make the whole film.Fry's debut as director shows him able as such even if some of his touches are a bit clumsy. The cast help him out greatly by delivering the goods from his script. Moore has the "straightest" character and the harder job of holding the narrative together but he does well and makes for an quite engaging character. Mortimer isn't used as well as I would have liked although she herself is pretty good. The rest of the cast are caricatures and outrageous types who perhaps don't add depth to the film but certainly make it fun. Tennant is good although the deliveries of Sheen and Woolgar naturally dominate. Quality is deep within the film even if some of Callow, Channing, Aykroyd, Mills and Grant are barely in it long enough to even be classed as cameos! Broadbent is a delight as a permanently sloshed major.Overall then an enjoyable film that makes for interesting viewing the way that modern society is reflected in 1930's society. The characters make for an OK story even if a lot of it is on the surface and very much of the moment (which I suppose might have been the point) and it is enjoyable even if it isn't that memorable.