Lukewarm reunion

I didn't have high hopes for Damsels in Distress. How could I? Whit Stillman's first feature film in over a decade and I don't remember hearing a damn thing about for three years after it was released. But the pleasures of his work, even when modest, are still pleasures, so when his name came up a couple days ago, I promoted the title to the top of the queue. Then, in a last minute flash of inspiration, I invited the Old Man to join me tonight on the couch.

All I can say is that I hope it didn't sour him on the man forever. (Actually, with his memory, two weeks from now he won't even recognise the name, so if I wait a whole month, I can slip Metropolitan or Last Days of Disco back into the queue without so much as a shudder of recognition.) I laughed too hard at the genuinely funny bits in an effort to prove to both of us that they were more amusing than they were. In the end, I found myself nodding at the verdict of someone named Rob Thomas writing for the local Madison rag: "Stillman's return in Damsels ends up being like a friendly lunch with someone you used to have deep, all-night dorm-room conversations with back in college." (Which is okay when it's just the two of you, but a bit awkward when your spouse is along and meeting him for the very first time.)

Oh well, I plan to make it up to him with Up this weekend. The reviews have been rave--particularly from those of you I trust--so it's the closest I have to a sure thing. I'm a bit floored to see the year of release. How the hell did five years fly by like that?