“Down and Out in Beverly Hills” is about the nouveau-riche Whitemans, who live in a swanky Beverly Hills house with a once-homeless bum named Jerry, although I can’t say for certain. This part of the Los Angeles - Long Beach - Anaheim metropolitan area is primarily composed of one bedroom and two bedroom homes. Paul Mazursky hasn't only remade Jean Renoir's sublime 1931 Boudu Saved From Drowning: he's yuppified it, inverting virtually every meaning until the film becomes a celebration of the crassest kind of materialism. On the basically farcical level where it chooses to stay, it is a funny and likable movie. And, indeed, perhaps the last unreachable frontier of the very rich, the one last thing they cannot buy, is poverty. Two immature detectives are joined by a pesky assistant district attorney in staking out a lakeside home where a Mafia trial witness is believed to be heading. Daddy, you work very hard for your money. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Spike Lee Remembers Little Richard with Michael Jordan Nike Ad from 1991, 09 May 2020 How does this stranger change the life style of this family? Here he is, living in a manicured mansion, exploiting wetback labor, sleeping with the Mexican maid, driving a Rolls convertible, selling 900 million coat hangers to the Chinese, and yet, somehow, something is missing. Two detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her. [Full Review in Spanish]. "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is a very funny 1986 comedy from director Paul Mazursky. [9], Janet Maslin of The New York Times quipped, "No film of Mr. Mazursky's is without its occasional sentimental excess, and this one even has its silly side; certainly Mr. Mazursky, who wrote the film with Leon Capetanos, knows better than to throw everyone into the pool at the end of a party scene. But this isn't just a remake. Based on a French play, 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills' is great fun! Paul Marzursky's slick hysterically funny satire about a disconsolate street vagrant, Jerry Baskin, played terrifically by Nick Nolte, who tries to commit suicide by jumping into the pool of a neurotic, nouveau-riche Beverly Hills family, he his rescued by the owner of the mansion, Dave Whiteman, played marvelously by Richard Dreyfuss, who invites him to stay at his home and get himself together, Dave's self-centered wife Barbara, played by wonderfully by Bette Midler is not crazy about that idea, and Jerry starts making serious changes to the entire household and begins to taking over their mixed up lives. This is a film that time may have not been very kind to. I don't think there's any weak links in the entire group. Besides that, the comedy just isn't succinct. | It's not like it improves the film's quality by much, but it's really cool to see from an era that lacked actual diversity. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Search for "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" on Amazon.com, Title: Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? CIFF 2020: Black Perspectives Program Highlights Diverse Voices, CIFF 2020: The Roger Ebert Award Returns to Champion New Voices, Immerse Yourself in Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project #3. As does Bette Midler. Two women unknowingly share the same man, but when he disappears, both go out looking for him and enter his surprisingly dangerous life. Musician Little Richard also makes an appearance,[3] and contributed the song "Great Gosh a'Mighty" to the soundtrack. |, May 20, 2003 Buddy Hackett once said that the problem with Beverly Hills is, you go to sleep beside your pool one day and when you wake up you're 75 years old. It's certainly enjoyable, but I wouldn't call it great, though I lament the fact that this film has, pretty much, been forgotten in the 30 years since its release. Now that I think about it, I really loved the cast in this film. Coming Soon. Anyway, what I would get for my house now wouldn't buy me a one bedroom house or condo in Beverly Hills. With Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss, Little Richard. A funny and poignant if also broad reworking of Renoir's classic, Boudu Saved from Drowning, Paul Mazursky's satire also works as a critique of L.A. nouveau riche and their crass lifestyle, reflected, among other things, in the garrish color palette. Directed by Paul Mazursky. Coming Soon. 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills' Synopsis: A millionaire adopts a homeless bum only to make things go crazy. So let me just say that "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" made me laugh longer and louder than any film I've seen in a long time. Sign up here. Highly Recommended. Mazursky has a way of making comedies that are more intelligent and relevant than most of the serious films around; his last credit, for example, was the challenging "Moscow on the Hudson." The movie has a quiet, offhand way of introducing us to the rich man's milieu. The film was a financial success. Mazursky makes the most of that paradox, and gradually we see the buried theme of the movie emerging, and it is the power of friendship. While not included on the soundtrack album, the film uses a remix of the Talking Heads song "Once in a Lifetime", as featured in their 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense and its companion album, in both the film's opening and closing credits. there's still hints of it here. With that said, it's not like I'd call the film consistently funny. The actual Beverly Hills house where the 1986 comedy, "Down & Out in Beverly Hills" was filmed. Fall TV First Look: Find Out What’s Coming, The Best Peacock Original Shows and Movies, All Upcoming Disney Movies: New Disney Live-Action, Animation, Pixar, Marvel, and More. The films lead cast of six players featured three of them named "Richard(s)". We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. He didn't set out in life to be rich (one of his favorite conversational gambits involves his own good luck and assurances that it could have happened to you as easily as to him - nice if you are him, but not if you are you). It’s a good time to be a seller in Los Angeles. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Looking for something to watch? Down and Out in Beverly Hills Forgot your password? A couple, cheated by a vile businessman, kidnap his wife in retaliation, without knowing that their enemy is delighted they did. This update of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning starts life as a satire on the tribal rites of the new and filthy rich, but goes badly wrong somewhere down the line. He'd just appear out of nowhere and start yelling. The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. View production, box office, & company info. Jerry decides to end his life by drowning himself in their swimming pool. They take him in. 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills' is entertaining from start to end. Discover releases, reviews, songs, credits, and more about Down And Out In Beverly Hills (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) at Discogs. Plus, he's in a loveless marriage, so Jerry starts to help him loosen up and have a little fun. His shiftless drifter has to metamorphize into a man who understands his hosts so deeply that he can play them like a piano. As they spend time together, meeting Jerry's friends, Dave finds liberation in observing Jerry's lifestyle and outlook, which contrasts his own materialistic conformism. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. See cast photos. January 4, 2018 Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Released by Touchstone Films, a film label of The Walt Disney Studios, Down and Out in Beverly Hills has the distinction of being the first film released by Disney to receive an R-rating by the MPAA. On the whole, 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills' succeeds. One day a bum wanders down the alley and into their backyard and tries to drown himself in their swimming pool. Jenny Whiteman: Performance-Wise: Nick Nolte is simply flawless as the homeless bum. |, May 23, 2011 Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are fabulously done. Go behind the scenes. In its broad outlines, this story is borrowed from Jean Renoir's classic film "Boudo Saved from Drowning." He gives all these supposed facts about his life, but you know that he's either lying or embellishing. Was this review helpful to you? All rights reserved. Paul Mazursky (screenplay), Their teenage son is confused about his sexuality and their daughter is suffering from eating disorders. I suppose it wouldn't have made sense within the context of this story, but I wouldn't have cared. It is, indeed, the dog's disappearance that inspires Nolte's suicide attempt, and it will be the Whitemans' own amazing dog, named Matisse, that gets some of the loudest laughs in the movie. James will likely tear the house down and build a new, larger estate. This development impels Dave to physically attack Jerry, and the major characters end up floundering in the swimming pool. You don't have to justify anything. He has the success, but is bedazzled by it, as if not quite trusting why great wealth should come to him for doing so little. Wife Barbara and daughter Jenny become social climbers, son Max less adaptable. It tries to make broad statements about the upper class and instead flops around making fun of everything and anything. For Bette Midler, Barbara Whiteman is the perfect character, all filled with the distractions of living up to her level of consumption. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Dave Whiteman and his wife, Barbara, are a nouveau-riche couple in Beverly Hills whose 20-year marriage has become stale and sexless. Meanwhile, Jerry overcomes Barbara's hostility and begins a sexual relationship with her. A remake of Jean Renoir’s 1932 classic Boudu Sauvé Des Eaux, with Nick Nolte as bum Jerry Baskin who tries to drown himself in the swanky pool of the Whitemans (Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss), but ends up causing chaos when he stays on with the family. And, of course, Bette Midler is a talented actress so she also does a great job with her character. | Top Critics (7) What these people all really lacked, rich and poor, sane and crazy alike, was the power to really like other people. Flights: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 1 World Way, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (tel: 424.646.5252), Please send any corrections or additions to info@movie-locations.com. Use the HTML below. Watch the Full Episode. Again, it's nothing that you've never seen before, but it's all well-done. DOWN & OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS is a smart American remake of the French film BONDU SAVED FROM DROWNING updated to modern day Beverly Hills. Edit. He channels his energy, not into work, but into enthusiasms - and Nolte becomes his greatest enthusiasm. The … [5] It added 10 more theatres and grossed 7% more in its second weekend, remaining at number one. The movie starred Nick Nolte as a bum who comes to live with a wealthy couple played by Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfus. A rich but troubled family find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool. It tells the story of a rich family that lives in the timeless comfort of a Beverly Hills mansion - in the kind of house where they use Architectural Digest for pornography. We meet his wife, whose life involves long sessions with masseurs, yogis and shrinks (even her dog has a doggie psychiatrist). In April 1987, a series based on the film aired on the newly formed Fox Broadcasting Company. And, particularly, for a film in the 80s, where it was pretty much all white casts with a token black character forced in there somewhere, it's pretty impressive to see a film with such an open mind about casting.