Slums of Beverly Hills

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alan g Poor acting. Poor plot. Poor script. Rated 2/5 Stars •  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 4/5 Stars •  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 4/5 Stars •  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 5/5 Stars •  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 3.5/5 Stars •  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 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Slums of Beverly Hills

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