Slums of Beverly Hills

I'm taking you back to 1998 with Slums of Beverly Hills. Every once in a while it's good to turn the clock back and gain some new appreciation for a lost flick.

For some reason, perhaps my soft spot for dysfunctional families, I never get tired of comedies of this sort. It's full of wise cracks, dysfunctional family laughs, and just enough uncomfortable situations to make you keep smiling and wanting more.



Alan Arkin is his typical amazing self. He is hilarious and believable, and he makes you realize that he did Little Miss Sunshine 8 years prior. I can't get enough of his humor.

Natasha Lyonne was incredibly funny, innocent, trashy, and sexy all rolled into one. She did a fabulous job, much better than I ever expected from her. It makes me wonder where she went wrong. She should be much more successful with her career. She deserves better.

Marisa Tomei is sexy and ridiculous, and I mean that with all due respect. It's what the character called for and she basically pulled it off. She has been better, but still a solid performance. Writer/Director Tamara Jenkins could have done more in the character development with her. I never got too attached to her and she played a key role. This was probably the only true fault.

As for Ms. Jenkins, where did she go for the 9 years between "Slums" and The Savages? This woman is obviously talented so I hope to see more of her work soon. Hopefully I don't have to wait another nine years.

For those of you who did not see The Savages, please make a note to see it. It is a fabulously touching, and comedic, story about family dysfunction and the evolution that goes with the realization. Jenkins has this genre down pat. And since nearly 50% of us end up in divorced families, most of us can relate.



So, back to Slums. I have a feeling that some of you will think I rated it too high. Whatever you think, I will be happy that you checked it out. Let me know your thoughts. 4 out of 5 stars.

Get Smart

Get Smart was long overdue. I was a big fan of the T.V. series so needless to say I was excited to hear this was coming to the big screen. I fear that the younger generation may not be able to relate to this movie as the T.V. show was so off beat, so strange, and so witty that it is hard to duplicate. It's supposed to be goofy and completely off the wall.



The producers spent a lot of time setting up Max on his quest to become an agent, something the series never bothered to do. They also threw in the love interest between Max and Agent 99, played by the amazingly beautiful and talented Anne Hathaway. Another topic that never reared it's head in the original series.

That being said, there are a number of strong performances in this film to warrant a watch. Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and Terrence Stamp were all quite good. This is a good, but not great movie. The blu-ray transfer is very good and the paltry DD 5.1 audio was actually impressive. What is with the lossy audio formats on blu-ray? It just does not make sense. The movie is definitely worth a view. Oh, and I challenge you to find 5 actors hotter than Anne Hathaway. Go ahead, I dare you.

3 out of 5 stars.