Slums Of Beverly Hills
Growing Up Is Hard To Do.
On the road to womanhood in the '70s, Vivian (Natasha Lyonne) is encountering two big bumps: her strangely nomadic family--always on the move, yet desperate to stay in the Beverly Hills school district--and her blossoming sexuality. Add Viv's vivacious visiting cousin (Marisa Tomei) to the mix, and you've got an explosive coming-of-age story that proves you don't have to be rich to have first-class fun.
Member Reviews
Coming of Age Story and More 70's Nostalgia - Gregg
In this film we have a coming of age story, a story about family and yet another trip through 1970’s nostalgia. This semi-autobiographical tale is told largely from the perspective of a teenage girl Vivian Abromowitz (Natasha Lyonne) who is growing up with her divorced father (Alan Arkin) and her two brothers (David Krumholtz of “Numbers” plays the elder one) in a series of rundown apartments in Beverly Hills. Despite their economic circumstances they stay in Beverly Hills so that the kids can go to good schools.
Some very funny moments as well as an interesting story, with good performances from all the principals and in particular Marisa Tomei playing a somewhat unbalanced cousin and proving at least somewhat that her Academy Award (My Cousin Vinny) wasn’t a fluke or an error by presenter Jack Palance.
The film was written and directed by Tamara Jenkins who would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for script for “The Savages”, the cast in addition to those already mentioned also includes; Rita Moreno, Jessica Walter and Carl Reiner.
I would have to disagree somewhat with Zip's labelling of this film as a teen comedy, it is a comedy and the principle character is a teenager but the connotations of that label don't really fit this film.
It’s unfortunate that Natasha Lyonne’s life and her career have gone somewhat off track as she displayed considerable talent in a number of her early roles.A different spin on growing up - Radio_Jane
This was a different kind of comedy all around. It was gritty and cerebral, yet it had a strange down to earth feel. Although it is essentially a story about growing up, it is nowhere near the cliched teen angst movie. Natasha Lyonne is dead on brilliant as a girl coming of age in an all male family in a strange new town. Marisa Tomei is genius, and I love the "secret language" bit. It gets really dark at times, and there is some really uncomfortable subject matter, but it is that wich makes this such a brilliant and complex film.
Member Reviews
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Coming of Age Story and More 70's Nostalgia - Gregg
In this film we have a coming of age story, a story about family and yet another trip through 1970’s nostalgia. This semi-autobiographical tale is told largely from the perspective of a teenage girl Vivian Abromowitz (Natasha Lyonne) who is growing up with ...A different spin on growing up - Radio_Jane
This was a different kind of comedy all around. It was gritty and cerebral, yet it had a strange down to earth feel. Although it is essentially a story about growing up, it is nowhere near the cliched teen angst movie. Natasha Lyonne is dead on brilliant as ...