Hauptsache Beverly Hills (1998)

Hauptsache Beverly Hills: Directed by Tamara Jenkins. With Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Bryna Weiss, Marisa Tomei. In 1976, a lower-middle-class teenager struggles to cope living with her neurotic family of nomads on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

“This was a very pleasant surprise. Itu0026#39;s hilarious and nostalgic (especially if youu0026#39;re a woman in her mid-thirties), but also really meaningful and moving. This movie is a highly original and often painfully accurate depiction of female adolescence — from bras to blood stains.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe whole cast is wonderful. Natasha Lyonne is amazing — I havenu0026#39;t been so captivated by an actress since I saw Emily Watson in u0026quot;Breaking the Waves.u0026quot; Alan Arkin — where has he been? — is wonderful as her father, and Marisa Tomei is outrageous, but not over the top, as her sexy rehab-escapee cousin. Marisa and Natasha are particularly amusing in their scenes together, where they often speak a private language not unlike u0026quot;ubby-dubbyu0026quot; (remember ZOOM?). The vibrator scene is not to be missed — youu0026#39;ll never hear u0026quot;We Got the Funku0026quot; the same way again!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve been very disappointed with a lot of the highly-touted indies of the past few years, but u0026quot;Slums of Beverly Hillsu0026quot; is the genuine article. I can u0026#39;t wait to see Tamara Jenkinsu0026#39; next film!”