people who like this film may feel smug for do so and who could blame them . this be that rarest of rare thing and an american romantic comedy about young people that could have be direct by eric rohmer . it full of talk and it all highly intelligent and at time almost unbearably so and but the young writer or director whit stillman have a wonderful ear for a bon mot and he doesn not take thing seriously . he lampoon these smart young new yorkers but he doesn not despise them while the comedy be gentle and affectionate . it set among the well heeled new york débutante set a they embark on a roundelay of party over the christmas period . it owe a considerable debt to jane austen and acknowledges this by reference her as often a it can . another reference point and of course and be woody allen when allen be write and direct genuinely smart new york comedy . it even get a nerdy woody allen character in the form of taylor nichols pseudo intellectual . indeed if it have a weakness it that the boy be far well develop a character than the girl and in a good and fine and unknown young cast the best performance come from edward clements a the hero from the wrong side of the track and or in this case and the wrong side of the city and from chris eigeman a the handsome and verbose rich boy who befriend him and ( think emma with the sex change ) . a little gem of a movie .