One of the film’s unexpected pleasures is that it manages to evoke a very specific time period without becoming mired in it. Stillman pulls off a unique balancing act of conveying the specificities of the cultural milieu of late-’70s hedonism giving way to Reagan’s “Morning in America,” but also maintaining a sense of universality that keeps the film from being solely about its time and place. As in his previous two indie efforts, Stillman observes the lives of his hyperarticulate young characters with a wry, deadpan style that allows us to take the drama seriously while also recognizing the inherent humor of it all. (DVD)