Appropriate cocktail party repartee among a circle of social wits, yes.
Even social life, wit as both weapon and delight, close friendships built around good conversation and good port, would have been highly acceptable.
But Schine's homage has it all: stinging social satire, mordant wit, delicate charm, lilting language and cosseting materialistic detail.
This audacious piece demands more from a contemporary director than respect; it demands wit, social awareness, and a healthy degree of scepticism.
Set among the English middle and upper classes, Austen's books are notable for their wit, social observation and insights into the lives of early 19th century women - earning her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature.
Newson's career as arguably the most influential industrial designer of his generation and the leading exponent of the so-called design-art movement may stand as much on the quasi-moral power of design to affirm the social virtues of wit, proportion, elegance and simplicity, as on his obsession with futuristic forms and modernist aesthetics.
Billy Wilder, who died last week at the age of 95, was the last surviving member of that great generation of filmmakers who brought their acerbic wit, social sophistication and visual flair to Hollywood after being driven out of Germany by the Nazis.
Dury's example of keen wit, social criticism and generosity of spirit inspires the following reasons for cheer during this tough holiday season.
If Mr. MacFarlane can pull off the mix of showbiz reverence and social-media-age wit, it will be a coup for the Academy.
You have to have wit, other social skills and many friends.
