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.