Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)

I really could relate to this little gem, starring Adam Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Corrigan, Carl Reiner and a heart stealer named Natasha Lyonne. Vivian (Lyonne) is a fifteen year old girl trying to cope with the endless cycle of C**P that swirls around her. Her dad (Arkin) has no job and seems to be an old deadbeat who should have had a good career to retire from. He's now 65 years old and every three months or so, uproots his three kids and moves them out of their current slum to go live in another slum, striving mind you to keep them within the Beverly Hills city limits where the "good schools" are. Meanwhile, Vivian's brother Ben is seems to be following in Pop's footsteps. And she has her own emotional baggage, that horrible time that Grandma promised would be wonderful: puberty. Vivian is now learning what Grandma calls the most wonderful time of your life isn't if the truth be told. Overnight, Vivian has gone from pancake flat to a C cup, drawing unwanted stares from every male in sight and snide comments from her disgusting older brother. When her cousin Rita (Marisa Tomei) gets into trouble with drugs and Rita's dad (Reiner) offers to pay Arkin and family to look after her, the family is able to afford a more shall we say "posh" apartment complex. Vivian meets Eliot (Corrigan) a pot dealer who at first seems to be just another sex-crazed male preying on virgins with well developed breasts but who later proves to be a likeable, almost sweet would be boyfriend to Vivian. Some may think Vivian to be a crass, grumpy pouter, but I remember the bad old days and I was exactly like her. When have you ever seen an adolescent in a splendid mood with all that bloating and those raging hormones??? And one scene where the dad is leaving for a night out and charging Vivian with taking care of Rita and the boys while he'a away is really sweet. The little Eskimo kiss shows you how much Viv loves her Pop even though he's majorly messing up on his kids.

There are some hilarious scenes in which Viv is introduced to the wonderful world of vibrators, and one realizes that although puberty is a sucky, awkward, rotton time, the discovery of sexuality is in contrast a wonderfully precious and sometimes downright hilarious one. The movie doesn't really have a focused plot, but it doesn't really need one. It's mainly about Vivian and her amazing ability to cope with her abnormal family and her impending unavoidable womanhood, and as a character, she's a success.

Fmovies: I liked this movie because i liked the performances of the two main female stars. I found both of them to be very likable and believable. The female lead had real star qualities - I never tired of seeing her on screen (my wife said the same thing so it's not just a guy thing:-))

The setting in the 70's was nice as was the strong sense of California. The 'secret language' schtick was very cool and I laughed out loud many times. I thought Alan Arkin was good but didn't like the incest angle too much and didn't think his chararacter was as believable as the ladies'.

I enjoyed the movie enough to take the family out to Sizzler's within a week of seeing it :-)

"Slums of Beverly Hills" is a movie that captured me right from the start, for several reasons. The hapless characters are all very likable and often painfully realistic, you side with them immediately even if you barely know them yet. This is mainly because the movie is so well-acted, especially Natasha Lyonne gives a very inspired performance and manages to make even the weaker material work. The dialogues aren't always that great, but the occasional poor line doesn't really affect the gritty realism this movie thrives on so much. It's rough around the edges, and that's probably why people appreciate this to such extent. It also passes by very smoothly, everything gels together well even though there's barely a story to speak of (and whatever story there is never gets resolved anyway). It's still really compelling for reasons you can't quite figure out. "Slums of Beverly Hills" is one of those movies that prove you can make something great with no money, because good ideas are totally free. Awesome movie.

Slums of Beverly Hills fmovies. For a long time, the depiction of the family unit in movies and on television was for the most part a sanitized, idealized representation, from movies like the Mickey Rooney `Andy Hardy' series and William Powell's `Life With Father,' to the totally stereotypical versions presented on TV in such shows as `Ozzie and Harriet' and `Father Knows Best,' which were entertaining, perhaps, but set standards that in reality were simply unattainable; a reflection of real life these movies/shows were not. There was the occasional film like `Rebel Without A Cause' or `The Young Savages,' which certainly explored conflicted individuals, but the focus was not on the `family unit' per se. Then gradually, all of that began to change; filmmakers evolved and the screen did begin to more accurately reflect the family dynamic in very real terms, for better or worse, and in 1998, `Slums of Beverly Hills,' written and directed by Tamara Jenkins hit the screen, with a depiction of the family unit that's about as honest as it gets.

Murray Abromowitz (Alan Arkin) is 65 years old, divorced and raising three kids on his own. A car salesman, Murray is currently in a `slump.' In point of fact, however, his whole life has been one long slump. But he's determined that his children, Ben (David Krumholtz), Vivian (Natasha Lyonne) and Rickey (Eli Marienthal), are going to get a good education, and that means keeping them in the best schools. And that means living in Beverly Hills. It's one of the most `upscale' communities in the world, but he doesn't have to be rich to take advantage of the educational opportunities; as long as they live within the city limits, the kids stay enrolled. It's all a matter of having the right zip code. But there's the rub; it's just not as easy as it sounds, because even living on the periphery of Beverly Hills cannot be successfully effected without `means,' and `assets' of any kind are decidedly not a part of Murray's personal resume.

Which means there has to be a plan. And Murray's plan is very simple: You stay one step ahead of the landlord and the monthly rent and you're home free. Which means moving. A lot. As in slipping out in the middle of the night with only as much as you can carry and moving on to the next `dingbat' apartment. And so is goes with the Abromowitz family, living a nomadic existence as part of a very real sub-culture in one of the richest areas on the planet. It's hard, but the kids are getting the education. Murray, however, suddenly has something else to deal with: Vivian, who is about to enter her freshman year at high school. And she is not a `little' girl anymore.

To tell her semi-autobiographical story, writer/director Jenkins has crafted and delivered a thoroughly engrossing film steeped in nuance and gritty realism. It's an incisive portrait of how a dysfunctional family can survive by establishing parameters which allow them to get from point A to point B on a daily basis, and what it takes to maintain the kind of internal support system that enables them to function and stay together, though individually their goals and aspirations may be pulling them in opposite directions. it goes far in disproving the idea that a family in perpetual crisis must necessarily disintegrate.

The story is told through the eyes of Vivian, which gives the film a decidedly personal resonance, as it is obvious that this is where Jenkins' heart resides. And it pr

Natasha Lyonne stars as a teenage girl growing up in various slums in Beverley Hills, but her family cannot necessarily afford to live in them. After moving around for most of her life, her family's finally found a place to call home with help from her uncle's money. The catch is that they have to watch after their troubled daughter (Marisa Tomei) and make sure that she makes a transition from drugs to a career worthy of their name.

That's not spoiling so much, I don't think, because the movie has much more depth than that. This very original drama/comedy features a great, universal struggle of living without proper means and making life work. It's a coming-of-age film for Lyonne's character who sees the beginnings of her womanhood, struggles of relationships, and maintaining her family's name and reputation through whatever means possible.

It's really touching how the Abromowitzes handle themselves and make each others' experiences memorable. The aging father (Alan Arkin) is truly memorable in this film for his struggles in finding out an end to poverty and loneliness without his wife. A great film altogether, not very long (only about 1 hr. 30 min), and easy to watch all the way through. Definitely a buy on DVD (even if the special features aren't all that special). I gave it an 8/10.

The Slums of Beverly Hills is a coming-of-age story from the perspective of a young girl. Vivian, the protagonist, is the pubescent member of a roving band of urban gypsies in 1976 Beverly Hills. The band consists solely of her divorcee father, and two brothers; one older and one younger. They don't roam far, just in the confines of the Beverly Hills school district. They are joined by a rehab-fleeing, neurotic female cousin, who becomes a guide for the young Vivian, leading her through the sexual-emotional vicissitudes of teenagerdom. Very clever, and also very heartfelt, The Slums of Beverly Hills really connected with me. I felt for the family. The acting is top flight and this makes up for some grating story lapses. When in the mood for a comedy I highly recommend this movie.