Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)

Director:

Tamara Jenkins

Writer:

Tamara Jenkins (writer)

Release Date:

14 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Never judge a girl by her address.

Plot:

This semiautobiographical story follows a lower-middle-class teenager (Lyonne) and her neurotic family in 1976 Tinseltown.

Plot Keywords:

Cousin | Nursing School | Breasts | 1976 | Flashing

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Natasha Lyonne	...	Vivian Abromowitz
Alan Arkin	...	Murray Samuel Abromowitz
Bryna Weiss	...	Saleslady
Marisa Tomei	...	Rita Abromowitz
Charlotte Stewart	...	Landlady
Eli Marienthal	...	Rickey Abromowitz
David Krumholtz	...	Ben Abromowitz
Kevin Corrigan	...	Eliot Arenson
Brendan Burns	...	Cop in Station
Harris Laskaway	...	Charlie the Cook
Jessica Walter	...	Doris Zimmerman
Mena Suvari	...	Rachel Hoffman
Marley McClean	...	Brooke Hoffman
Mary Portser	...	Mrs. Hoffman
Jock MacDonald	...	Man at Brymans

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual situations, nudity, language and drug content.

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:6 | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Singapore:R(A) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The film was going to be financed by the American Playhouse company but then it went out of business. The former head of Playhouse, Lindsay Law, became head of Fox Searchlight and was able to set this project up there.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the closing credits, the word "Soundtrack" is spelled incorrectly as "Sountrack".

Quotes:

Vivian: Are you starring at my breasts?
Eliot: No!
Vivian: [lifts up her shirt] Well look at them!
Eliot: Ok...
Vivian: What do they make you think?
Eliot: I don't know
Vivian: Do they looked deformed?
Eliot: No, they look beautiful!
Vivian: Do you want to touch them?
Eliot: Ok.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Riches: Slums of Bayou Hills (#2.4)" (2008)

Oddball Coming of Age Tale

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.