The Gentleman

I originally saw The Gentlemen at a Washington, DC, film festival, then caught it a second time on cable TV. In both instances, I viewed it along with other short films. Within that context, The Gentlemen stood out as an amusing, high-quality effort at capturing a slice of the capital's social life that seldom goes public. Carol Monda's overly effusive flirtatious Evelyn is particularly well played as is Jonathan Tilden's uptight Englishman, and Nick Galifainakis's happy-go-lucky Greek.

The plot is appropriately limited and tightly structured. Our insight into these character is brief and the film makers make every moment count-from Jonathan's tears after his break up (surprising in retrospect), to Evelyn's pre-party preen. However, the viewer is left wondering what question the film poses. Is it the timeless query, `What do women want?' Or, is it a more modern moan about gender differences? By film's end, Evelyn emerges as a somewhat pathetic character who plays--willingly or unwilling--into the hands of male characters who may not be gentlemen.

Hmm... sometimes it is hard to put into words what one likes or dislikes about a certain film. In this case, it is not so hard. The film is simply not that good. The dialogue is stagey, the acting is wooden, look of the film is just okay, the directing leaves much to be desired, and the overall "joke" or "wittism" is not that amusing or even that clever. What is amusing is the screen presence of Sam Serafy (one of the directors of the film). Though he is not listed in the credits, he makes an unmistakable impression as one who is a master of conveying dry humor. It is too bad that he could not pass on this talent to his fellow actors. This film would have been much better if he had played all of the parts in the same tone, with the same mannerisms. I have done some research on Mr. Serafy and found an earlier film he directed, titled "Watch With Mother." It is a far superior film to "The Gentleman" and displays a true sense of experimental storytelling. "Watch With Mother" gives me hope that this director/actor will, in fact, continue to work in the medium.