Like Woody Allen without the vague air of creepiness, Whit Stillman's a delightful and distinctive filmmaker with an unmistakable style. "The Cosmopolitans" fits neatly in with the rest of his work: Feather-light, inconsequential, but overflowing with low-key charm.

It's difficult to muster much sympathy, or any real stakes, from the saga of a bunch of good-looking, presumably well-off, aggressively white twentysomethings who don't seem to have jobs, yet can afford to dress impeccably, live in Paris, and while away their days just walking around or hanging out at cafes or fancy parties. We barely learn anything about any of them in the all-too-brief course of the show, as they talk in circles and kind of make jackasses of themselves trying to fake a world-weariness they don't actually possess.

But I'll be danged if Stillman doesn't make their idleness look appealing. And he's always been good at hinting at the emotion and the melancholy lurking beneath seemingly aimless lifestyles. His dialogue, though not rife with belly laughs, contains a sly humor all its own, and since he's got plenty of experience being an expat in Paris himself, he manages to capture the city and his protagonists' experience in a way that feels authentic.

Among the cast, Adam Brody's always fun to watch, though he gets very little to do here. Chloe Sevigny basically slinks around looking fantastic and being enigmatic -- so, basically, right in her wheelhouse. Freddy Asblom's wonderfully weird, slightly weaselly rich kid adds a welcome bit of spice to the show, as does Adriano Giannini's charmingly rumpled Italian hanger-on. But Carrie MacLemore is the real standout here, as an Alabama girl finding herself suddenly alone half a world from home.Read more ›

When I heard that Whit Stillman was back with a pilot on Amazon, I couldn't wait to watch it and I loved it! The dialogues are so 'Stillman', reminding me of the Metropolitans or Barcelona, with the most beautiful city in the world as a background. It makes me want to live in Paris again, as I did in my 20's. The characters are brilliantly composed, especially the Italian one, its amusing to watch how differently he reacts compared to his 'anglo saxons' friends. I hope that we will get to see much more of this.

Big thumbs up for Mr. Stillman. This Pilot shows him in top form - very promising show, alluring and interesting characters, would love to find out how this could develop further. Adam Brody and Chloe Sevigny both shine, and the Italian actor is also very symphathetic. Set against the beautiful and interesting backdrop of Paris, I thought The Cosmopolitans was like a fine chocolate bonbon in colored crispy paper - the problem with it is that it's gone before you now it and then you want more!
I hope this will be picked up by Amazon and we'll get a whole season out of this!

After first happening upon "Damsels in Distress" more than a year ago, I was eager to see more of Stillman's work, particularly with the always charming Adam Brody. With a few lovely references to DnD ("Sambola"!) I was so terribly sad when the pilot was over. I do hope that word spreads so this series is picked up. A comedy of manners that is once dry and refreshing as the wine is hard to find in today's usual television faire of procedurals and formulaic cliches. With Stillman, while there may not be car chases or gore, the unexpected is subtle and demands even more attention.

Really enjoyed the pilot. A classic Whit Stillman story that fits right in with Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco. The dialogue was great and the way the characters dissect dating and social life in Paris was really interesting. Also, it made you feel like you were there, almost like a travelogue. The pacing was really swift and made the time fly by, so it left you wanting more. Everyone doing The Sambola was pretty funny, too.

Wow.

When I heard Stillman was going to be making a pilot for Amazon I was very excited about what this could entail. I was completely not disappointed and blown away. It is always such a treat to hear Stillman's particular dialogue style and rhythms and the actors nail it very well, each inhabiting and letting us get to know their particular personalities in such a small time frame. There are one or two moments of clunky delivery, which is expected with such stylized work, but they all come into their own by the end (I particularly liked Fritz and Sandro and Aubrey though every character had great moments and things to identify with).

There are some absolutely classic Stillman one liners in here, as good as anything he's done before ("Though that was sad of course about the Civil War and you losing so badly and all..." "Yes after a bad break up it's good to get the entire Atlantic between you and that." "What about the Pacific?" "I don't know I never tried it.). Sevigny is a marvelous presence in her smaller role and I hope, if the show goes to series, that she continues dropping in from time to time.

Of course it is beautiful to look at, with the setting and Stillman does a great job capturing this and telling the story simply with his camera.

I think this would be a perfect pairing with Transparent. If both of these shows stick around, Amazon might wind up with the two best television comedies around right now.