film favorite: down and out in beverly hills

The comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills came out in 1986. That was 27 years ago, and it is just as fresh and funny to watch today as it ever was (echoing David Byrne's lyrics that open the film, "Same as it ever was, same as it ever was..." Directed by Paul Mazursky (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, An Unmarried Woman, Tempest), Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a modern adaptation of the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which was also made into a film in 1932 by Jean Renoir. Note to self — must track that movie down.

Dave wants to help Jerry get back on his feet

Mazursky sets his version in 1980s affluent California, with a pastel pink palette, oversized linen garments with wide shoulders, and lots and lots of exaggerated behaviors for its wacky cast of characters (including Little Richard as neighbor Orvis Goodnight). But Down and Out in Beverly Hills isn't all high ceilings and New-Age trends. The movie opens with the Talking Heads's "Once in a Lifetime" blasting over a montage of the homeless on the streets of Beverly Hills. The camera and story then zero-in on Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte), a homeless man who becomes despondent after his dog Kerouac takes off for greener pastures while he was sleeping on a park bench. Jerry wanders all over Beverly Hills, trying to find his dog, to no avail. He eventually finds himself in the back yard of a huge mansion, standing at the edge of a pool. He fills his coat's pockets with heavy stones, and throws himself into the water, hoping to drown. But the pool's owner, Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss), sees the whole thing happen from inside his manse as he's yakking on his cordless phone and rushes out to rescue the homeless man, screaming, "Call 911! Call 911! Call 911!"

Jerry's dive into the pool changes everything. For Jerry, for Dave, and for everyone Jerry meets. Dave's wife Barbara (Bette Midler) is at first repulsed and suspicious of Jerry,

"He's going to give that dog fleas."

Jerry may have a cure for Barbara's headaches

But she and their maid Carmen (Elizabeth Peña), son Max (Evan Richards), and daughter Jenny (Tracy Nelson) are soon touched and transformed by his presence. As Jerry stays with the family he becomes all things to all people. He even manages to enchant the Whitman's dog Matisse (Mike the Dog), whose behavior has been so out of control that Barbara had resorted to consulting a dog psychiatrist to modify his behavior. Mazursky has a blast poking fun at Barbara's various New Age fads, showing her chanting and running on hot coals. He also turns up in a cameo as Dave's partner in the wire hangar business.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a comedy of manners, a sex farce, and also a cultural critique. But most importantly it is full of funny moments, like Jerry teaching the finicky Matisse how to eat dog food out of his bowl.

Barbara looks doubtful as Jerry teaches Matisse how to eat dog food

Jerry cleans up real good

Down and Out in Beverly Hills is not only funny, but it is a reminder of how wonderful Richard Dreyfuss's manic energy can be when channeled into the right role, as exhibited in a scene where Dave, not paying attention to his driving while listening to the car radio, runs into a police car:

Police Officer, "Sir, may I see your driver’s license?"
Dave, "Um  … yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, huh, huh, huh, huh, who … who hit who?"
Police Officer, "May I see your driver’s license please?"
Dave, "Nuh huh, uh huh, I’m just, I’m just trying to figure out who, who I’m mad at."

Dreyfuss's Dave Whiteman is at first thrilled with doing good — he has a real opportunity to help some one. When Jerry is reluctant to change, Dave is happy to take a walk on the wild side with his new friend. But when Jerry starts to not only be his friend, but to get cozy with all the women in his life, Dave's love quickly turns to hate. Nick Nolte cleans up real good, as Dave performs an Eliza Doolittle transformation-of-sorts on him (or more accurately a Pretty Woman), but his initial appearance is a bit of a harbinger of roles real and fictional to come. Bette Midler does more with her waving manicured hands and a running technique that involves wearing very high heels while taking very tiny steps than many other actors can do with a Shakespearian monologue. In short, Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a lot of fun to watch. One of the funniest films of the 1980s or any era.

parental guidance

It's easy to dismiss the latest effort from Billy Crystal, Parental Guidance, as just another shtick-filled effort from someone who is famous for, well shtick. And there are jokes as old as the Catskills to be found. But there is also something else going on. Parental Guidance is not just for the geezers. Crystal and Bette Midler, who plays his wife, although they are pretending to be at least a decade younger than their actual ages, may still fill some seats from the 70+ crowd, but the movie is a family comedy that has a little bit for every generation. Grandparents will relate to he ageism subplot, while possibly being as confused as Crystal's character at some of the pop references. Parents will laugh at the extreme version of helicopter parenting on display by Crystal and Midler's daughter, played by Marisa Tomei, and her husband, played by Tom Everettt Scott. Kids will love the three kids.

(Grand) parenting is tougher than you think

The main gist of the story follows Artie Decker (Crystal), a minor league baseball announcer who loves his job, but still dreams of announcing for the Giants. When Artie is fired because he is too "old school," his wife Diane seizes at the chance to get to know her grandchildren better. She is sick of being the "other grandparents" and agrees to babysit the kids for a week while their daughter Alice (Tomei) and her husband Phil (Scott) are away. Alice has tried to distance herself and her family from her parents — her issues seem to be mostly with dear old dad, who simply wasn't around much during her formative years. Alice and Phil live in a Jetsons-like house which greets everyone by name on entry and even makes them breakfast. Who's less involved with whose kids?

The hazards of attachment parenting

Parental Guidance is one of those movies that has a lot of jokes that hit or miss. Probably more miss than hit, but that isn't really the point. It's a chance to see some actors we like skirt (ever-so-lightly) over some issues we can connect to. Whether a viewer has kids or not, no one ever seems to hesitate to have an opinion over how someone else raises their kids — it's highly relatable. And the kids' antics are amusing, for the most part. We know their bad behavior will eventually improve after exposure to the older generation. More proof that Parental Guidance is geared towards the kids than their grannies: the humor is frequently of the potty variety.

Billy Crystal shockingly gives some of the best ba-dump-bump comeback lines to Better Midler. Marisa Tomei's close-ups display a beautiful actress who has freckles and gasp (!) a few wrinkles and hasn't succumbed to Hollywood's omnipresent facial reconstruction (here's hoping she stays strong.) Director Andy Fickman was smart enough to include a musical number for Midler (and Crystal), as well as a few other opportunities for her to break into song. Too bad they didn't push it even further in that direction. So many movies these days pile on the special effects or thrill us with their life-like computer animation. Sometimes it's a relief to see something with the kid that's a bit old school. It's not a rom-com, or a fantasy, or a "meaningful" drama. It's just a few laughs at some silly people in even sillier situations.