Slums Of Beverly Hills (1998)

One of the things that I didn't get to do during the 30 day movie challenge was a chance to pay tribute to comedy legend Carl Reiner (History of the World: Part I) who passed away this past week. I was looking for something of his to watch today off of Hulu, but I was running out of time so I chose the first film of his that he was in that Hulu had. That film happened to be 1998's Slums Of Beverly Hills which was written and directed by Tamara Jenkins (Private Life). The film stars Natasha Lyonne (Uncut Gems/ Honey Boy) as Vivian, a young lower middle class teenager who is just trying to navigate her way around life, but it will prove to be quite the task with the eccentric and neurotic family that she has as they become nomads of Beverly Hills. The film also stars Alan Arkin (Spencer Confidential) as Murray, Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man: Far From Home) as Rita, Eli Marienthal (The Iron Giant) as Rickey, David Krumholtz (The Plot Against America) as Ben, Kevin Corrigan (Buffalo '66) as Eliot,  Jessica Walter (Play Misty For Me) as Doris, Reiner as Mickey, Rita Moreno (Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?) as Belle, Mena Suvari (Spun) as Rachel, Marley McClean (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air) as Brooke, and the late Harris Laskawy (The Girl Next Door) as Charlie The Cook.

I actually liked this film a lot and it's mostly for the acting with the likes of Arkin, Tomei, and Lyonne, but I thought everyone contributed nicely. Everyone in the film was given a role and they all played it really well as it made the film go smoothly for me. One thing about this film that I really liked is that the characters were sort of relatable in a way as each person is just trying to figure out their place in life in this crazy world. I mean who cannot relate to a girl who is coming of age and is trying to figure out the line between what's acceptable sexually as far as relationships and coming of age as far as transitioning from a girl to a woman. I also bet that there are people out there that can relate to Arkin's character or you know someone just like that. A dreamer who has never stopped to smell the roses as others have put it. He is too busy thinking that he's been ahead of the curve just to keep his family in Beverly Hills, but in the end the moral of the story is that family is forever no matter how messed up or dysfunctional they may seem. One of the things that was a treat was a shot of Marisa Tomei int he beginning of the film that made me say OK, where is this movie going? Nonetheless, I liked the acting, the story, and the cinematography to go along with a pretty decent soundtrack which is why I am going to give this film an B+ for a final grade.