Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
Paul
Mazursky’s Down and Out in Beverly Hills definitely had reason to pique
my interest. I enjoyed Mazursky’s previous drama Moscow on the Hudson which
was a thematically important story. He tackled a different but still relevant
theme regarding poor vs. rich ageless debate. He is working with a trio of
great actors in Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, and Richard Dreyfuss. He is tackling
this film as a drama and the topic is bound for a few laughs. Plus, there is
Little Richard! Annnnnnd he is going to contribute to the soundtrack? As one of
the well-known films to greet 1986, it is bound to be decent, right? Well…uh…let’s
discuss.
When
the dog is funnier than the human characters, you know you are in trouble. The
Whiteman family’s dog, Mike is the movie’s MVP. That adorable creature had me
laughing every single time he showed up. If the movie was about him, I might
have been okay. Instead, Paul Mazursky’s script focused on some extremely unlikeable
characters. Maybe it’s the fact that Mazursky had no Robin Williams at his
disposal, who is always likable. I definitely liked the concept, but it could
have used better characters. Barbara and Dave Whiteman spent the entire movie
giving each other grief in such a mean-spirited way. And the way they treat
their children too! Or perhaps I wasn’t in a good mood the day I watched the
movie and I took it out on the characters?
Barbara
(Bette Midler) and Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) Whiteman are a rich, spoiled couple.
They are also really unhappy with their lives. Dave works very hard in the
hanger business and wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Nothing excites
Barbara except for yoga and aerobics. Dave also cheats on his wife with the
family maid, Carmen (Elizabeth Pena). Their son is a sexually confused person
and their daughter is really anorexic. The family’s lives are changed with the
homeless tramp Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte) shows up. His dog leaves him and makes
him not want to live no more, so he decides to drown himself in the Whiteman’s
pool. Dave rescues him and that sets off some complicated adventures.
I
found it hard to judge the performances when I found the characters despicable.
In that notion, I guess the actors did a good job? Hmmmmm. Nick Nolte
definitely sold the homeless part well. He never intentionally became homeless,
but he just ended up being a wanderer. Dreyfuss and Midler are excellent actors,
but I think they deserved a better script. The scene towards the end where
Dreyfuss chases Nolte around the house is pretty funny I suppose. Little Richard,
in addition to providing some excellent music, is great as the neighbor. And of
course, the dog! There should be a sequel with only the dog!
Mazursky
based his script off the French play “Boudo Saved from Drowning.” He just took
that play and moved it into Beverly Hills. I found it rather interesting that Mazursky
shot the film just a block away from his own place. Judging from the
characters, is he trying to say that people are unhappy with the California
city’s lifestyle? Does being rich mean not being happy? I liked that he tackled
this concept, but the script is really lackluster. The maid turning into a
political radical out of nowhere it seems does not fit the film well. Yeah, it’s
a farce but not developed well enough.
Down
and Out in Beverly Hills is not void of any interesting moments, just
interesting characters. There are some cool scenes such as the house chase.
Nolte does his best. The dog definitely won my heart, so that counts for
something. It’s a fast-paced comedy that some people will enjoy and others will
won’t. Sadly, I am one of those.
My
Grade: C
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