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.

Honey Boy (2019)

One of the most polarizing and notorious actors to come from the Disney Channel has been none other than Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon) who has proven that when he is on point in his acting that there is no one like him. He started out on Disney on the show Even Stevens before landing the dream role in Transformers which led to more fame. That in turn led to him having some trouble in his past that brings him to this very point in 2019 when Amazon released the biographical film Honey Boy which was written by LaBeouf and directed by Alma Har'el (Bombay Beach). The film follows child actor Otis Lort (Noah Jupe) as he tries to navigate through a stormy time in his childhood that leads to his ultimate destruction as an adult. This in turn leads him to have to face up to his past while he spends some time reflecting in rehab. The film also stars Lucas Hedges (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Adult Otis, LaBeouf as James Lort, Byron Bowers (Loiter Squad) as Percy,  Laura San Giacomo (Sex, Lies, and Videotape) as Dr. Moreno, FKA Twigs as Shy Girl, Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) as Mom, Maika Monroe (It Follows) as Sandra, Clifton Collins Jr. (One Eight Seven) as Tom, Martin Starr (Knocked Up) as Alec, and Graham Clarke (Lucifer) as TV Dad.

After watching the film, it's definitely easy to see all of the factors that went in to making Shia who he became. Shia did such an amazing job in the film, but if you think about it how much work did he have to do to get into the role of his father. The one thing that I can say is that mentally it must have been hard to do because it would bring back so many memories, but at the same time it has to be therapeutic to let it all go. Shia is an underrated actor in Hollywood and when he puts his mind to it, he does amazing things. My favorite film of his in 2019 was The Peanut Butter Falcon, but this one is definitely right up there. While I have to give Lucas Hedges credit for the role and the amazing job he did playing the rotten child star all grown up, but how do you go from being a brunette to a red head in adulthood? That part was a little bit confusing for me and what was the deal with the same chicken over the course of the film other than the fact it was a wild and un-tamable creature like himself. If you are a fan of Shia LaBeouf and you want to know a little of what he was dealing with as a kid then definitely give this film a watch. I loved the grittiness of the cinematography because it kind of had that documentary look to it while being melancholic in look as well. With that being said, I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.