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Evelyn Waugh was one of the great satirists of his day, and Stephen Fry (probably best known for his portrayal of Oscar Wilde in Wilde) can be counted among the great modern British wits. It would seem a natural, then, for Fry to adapt Waugh's Vile Bodies, a caricature of the late-1920s London party set (think the precursors of the Hilton sisters), for the big screen.
Unfortunately, little of Fry's own wit shines through in Bright Young Things, and Waugh's literary brand of satire may be more suited to the printed page. (I'm not sure I can call the adaptation faithful either; Waugh wrote the novel in 1930, yet the film takes us into World War II.)
Bright Young Things centers on Adam Fenwick-Symes (Campbell Moore), an earnest hanger-on among the so-called "Bright Young People," who's perpetually broke and so cannot marry Nina (Mortimer), another of their social crowd. Adam would be more sympathetic, though, if he didn't bet the £1,000 he's just won performing parlor tricks on a horse he doesn't know and in the trust of a stranger he may never see again.
As the the film vacillates between these libertines at play and the consequences they find themselves paying, it's hard for us to care one way or the other.
Still, Bright Young Things is frequently sumptuous and seductive, and Fry displays remarkable craftsmanship in his directorial debut. I look forward to his future efforts.