Review of Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) by Danielle S — 20 Sep 2008

The story of Vivian (Natasha Lyonne), a 14-year-old girl with an ever expanding bustline and Viv's father Murray (Alan Arkin) who moves his family (including Viv and her two brothers) every few weeks, jumping rent but staying in Beverly Hills because it's got "good schools." Lyonne is exceptional as Viv. She's sweet and sometimes endearing. She's the movie's lynchpin, and she's up to the task. The characters of Slums may seem overly quirky. No one in the film is normal. But therein lies the value of family. No matter how crazy you get, how far your luck has fallen, family is the home that is always there. That is the reward for the challenge of it all. So we fight, and we yell, and we do it because we have something invested in our families, ourselves.

Murray Samuel Abromowitz: "Who the hell is that on your shirt?

Eliot: Charles Manson, sir.

Murray Samuel Abromowitz: Okay...

[to family].

Murray Samuel Abromowitz: Your sister gets the bedroom.".

What Slums of Beverly Hills lacks in cohesiveness, it makes up for in schmaltz and spirit. Hence, its more sentient moments are rarely obscured. This despite a gaggle of offbeat characters, an unusual brand of sexual frankness that flirts on the fringes of titillation, and a circus-like style of plot exposition. Many times, films that combine comedy and drama do so in an uncomfortable and unwieldy manner. In Slums of Beverly Hills, the approach is natural and satisfying.