Saw "Slums of Beverly Hills" over the
weekend. Hated it, mainly because it hit too close to home
(luckily *not* mine, but my stepmother's family -- as
dysfunctional as they get). No plot to speak of, just a story
about a man (Alan Arkin) and his three kids (2 boys, one girl)
who apparently move from one semi-sleazy hotel in Beverly Hills
to another in 1976. It is told from the girl's point of view.
Vivian is a high school freshman, overly endowed and ashamed of
it; her father keeps telling her to put on a bra, even when she's
wearing a halter top. Her father, Murray, seems to not work for a
living or collect Social Security (he is 65) and it is never
revealed *how* or *why* he got custody of the kids during the
divorce. The mother must have been a monster. Everyone is
miserable (except maybe the pot seller, but then he always wears
a Charles Manson t-shirt, which is supposed to be symbolic, I
guess).
His drugged-out niece, Rita (Marisa Tomei)
escapes from a rehab clinic and hitches back to LA and decides to
move in with her uncle and the 3 kids and share a room with
Vivian. Murray takes money from his brother, Mickey (Carl Reiner)
to keep Rita and send her to nursing school.
There are a series of vignettes or episodes
involving various characters: Vivian exploring sex with the pot
dealer down the street; Rita pursuing her actor-lover who got her
pregnant; Murray pursuing a rich widow. The funniest vignette
involves Rita and Vivian playing catch with a vibrator. The humor
is gross and of the bathroom variety. There is no plot to speak
of, and far too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions.
What happened to Murray's business? Does he have an income? Why
are they in California if they're from New Jersey? Do any of them
have any synapses firing?
I suppose the fact that all the characters are
Jewish (last name: Abramovitz) is supposed to be cute (I think
the story is autobiographical). To me, it was an insult to Jews,
implying that this highly dysfunctional family is typical. The
characters are unpleasant stereotypes.
I think this one howls at the moon.
