Slums Of Beverly Hills

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Slums of Beverly Hills

Year: 1998
Classification: Comedy

Directed:
- Tamara Jenkins

Actors/Actresses:
- David Krumholtz
- Mena Suvari
- Natasha Lyonne
- Robert Redford
- Alan Arkin
- Bryna Weisse

An interesting take...

A very pleasing, corky movie. In the summer of 1976 Beverly Hills a young teenage girl named Vivian(Natasha Lyonne) copes with her sudden changes on becoming a woman without the help of a mother-figure. The fun starts when her gorgeous, older cousin(played by Marisa Tomei) moves in with her frequently moving family. Whether being hasseled by her brothers or not receiving all the answers from her dad, Vivian seems determined to find out who she really is and wants. Check out those great breasts! Natasha plays a bright young actress, I'm looking forward to any future releases

A COMEDY THAT'S NOT THAT FUNNY

...or maybe it isn't meant to be funny? At any rate, if there's a reason to applaud this critically acclaimed indie, it's the performance of Natasha Lyonne in the focal role of Vivian.BR>Lyonne captures to a tee the ultimately frightening world of being a teenager on the verge of becoming a woman. Lyonne hits all the right notes, whether it's in lamenting her enormous boobs (a gag that gets old after a while) or exploring her cousin's vibrator (a remarkable scene with no dialogue that conveys the innocence of youth and shows what a fine actress Lyonne is). Alan Arkin lends good support as her father, but his performance is too one note to show us the real anguish he is feeling. His scene with Oscar winner Marisa Tomei in which he tells her how lonely he is is handled very well. Jessica Walter is around briefly as the new love interest in Arkin's life, and she does a beautiful job too. Tomei is adequate, but not entirely believable. Carl Reiner and Rita Moreno make a brief but memorable appearance as Tomei's parents.BR>All in all, this is a tender slice of life dramedy, but I wish it had been a little funnier.

Why did the director want an "R" rating for this?

"Slums" is a thoroughly enjoyable movie and I take nothing away from this wonderful independent film. Alan Arkin's performance is a treasure and all the acting is on-target.
One quibble, though. One reason, I submit, that this movie languished in obscurity for years is the "R" rating. Why did'nt Ms. Jenkins shoot for a more box-office friendly PG-13 and get the teen audience who might have supported this movie more. Did we really need all those (...) shots from stunt doubles??? Not that I'm complaining but after a point they distract from the movie.
More people should have seen "Slums" but the "R" rating killed it.

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