Slums of Beverly Hills

R

1998

1 hr. 30 min.

Comedy

List

81%

62 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The niece (Marisa Tomei) of a divorced man (Alan Arkin) helps raise his adolescent daughter (Natasha Lyonne) and two sons on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

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Critics Consensus

Warm, real, and hilarious.

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alan g

Poor acting. Poor plot. Poor script.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/19/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The late Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, and Natasha Lyonne 25 years later and I remember watching this a few years ago really getting a kick out of it A family comedy that really captures Jewish femininity also being an empathetic look at lower-middle class Lyonne plays Vivian, a 15 year old teenage girl who's always moving with her father and brothers during the 1970s They never sit in one place too long When her cousin Rita visits things do get a bit crazy after she escapes from rehab Vivian has to put up with a lot from her body changing to worrying about sex to her family's ridiculousness Her father doesn't realize he's racist and refuses to recognize his daughter's ball busting spirit, he's also struggling as a car salesman living off his brother's welfare checks Vivian lives in a family of men but acts way more tomboyish plus the fact that she's fighting against her body being a blessing but also a curse She faces a lot of pitfalls that come with adolescence Director Tamara Jenkins touches upon Jewish beauty and assimilation that feels way more relevant now being this is semi-autobiographical You can look at it now as a form of class-based Jewish feminity This family is what you call living the slum life of Beverly Hills being that they can't always financially support themselves and are forced to live in less-than-stellar conditions (nomads as they like to refer to themselves) This was also at a time when assimilation into white Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture was ubiquitous A long history exists between Jewish women and plastic surgery serving as ridding anti semitism but also assimilating into WASP beauty standards The fact that Vivian and Rita share a secret Jewish language together emphasizes their identity The movie works as a coming-of-age tale, a comedy and a very warm hilarious real look at a young woman growing up in a dysfunctional family Yet there's also emotional ramifications men can identify with Lyonne gives one of the best performances of her career and this shows that money isn't the only currency going for characters like this The femininity here outside of assimilating is not only possible but beautiful

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

Alan H

I just wandered into it. What a nice afternoon. A little cheese, a little sleaze, and a great life story. Check it out.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

Full Review

Russquatch G

with the passing of Alan Arkin, I gave this movie a watch today. and WOW! it's not your typical feel good movie, but the feeling you get, the good and the bad with families. to be honest I cannot put into words the feeling I got after watching it. but it was a deep feeling that has now embedded this movie into my memory. I highly recommend giving it a watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

Full Review

steve d

Sometimes a bit disgusting in its treatment of underage girls but the script is great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Funny and has some sweet moments! Natasha Lyonne and Marisa Tomei are sensational! If you like coming-of-age stories, it's one for you!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

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Tamara Jenkins

Director

Natasha Lyonne

Vivian Abromowitz

Alan Arkin

Murray Samuel Abromowitz

Marisa Tomei

Rita Abromowitz

Kevin Corrigan

Eliot Arenson

Eli Marienthal

Rickey Abromowitz

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Funny, well acted comedy from a new director whose career shuld be watched

Rated: B-

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Though hypocritical in the way it sensationalizes sexuality, this serious and funny 1998 movie about a 15-year-old coming to terms with her body and her family in 1976 is, refreshingly, never coy or ironic.

Jan 12, 2007

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Tamara Jenkins' feature debut as a director and as a screenwriter [with certain autobiographical excerpts] is a dramatic comedy that is contagious to me. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Jul 24, 2020

Full Review

Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

Dark comedy about family dysfunction; sex, drugs, cursing.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 7, 2017

Full Review

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

...a slight movie but a brave one

Rated: 87/100

Nov 25, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

The niece (Marisa Tomei) of a divorced man (Alan Arkin) helps raise his adolescent daughter (Natasha Lyonne) and two sons on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

Director: Tamara Jenkins
Executive Producer: Robert Redford
Screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins
Production Co: Fox Searchlight
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.5M
Sound Mix: Surround

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