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Critics Consensus: An enjoyable farce that relocates Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning to '80s California, offering fine comedic performances from Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler.
Critic Consensus: An enjoyable farce that relocates Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning to '80s California, offering fine comedic performances from Nick Nolte, Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler.
All Critics (26) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (5)
"Down and Out,"... is a failed fish-out-of-water story.
On the basically farcical level where it chooses to stay, it is a funny and likable movie.
Although it is more of a comedy of manners than a well-developed story, there are enough yocks and bright moments to make it a thoroughly enjoyable outing.
This update of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning starts life as a satire on the tribal rites of the new and filthy rich, but goes badly wrong somewhere down the line.
As a comedy of manners it has a dependably keen aim, with its most wicked barbs leavened by Mr. Mazursky's obvious fondness for his characters.
Paul Mazursky hasn't only remade Jean Renoir's sublime 1931 Boudu Saved From Drowning: he's yuppified it, inverting virtually every meaning until the film becomes a celebration of the crassest kind of materialism.
A single moment of magical realism shows the Babe-that-might-have-been, very charitably speaking, had the makers of this doggie adventure-comedy chosen a more daring and creative route...
The cast is entirely up to the comic hysteria Mazursky requires of them, though Mike the dog steals whatever scene he is in.
A funny and poignant if also broad reworking of Renoir's classic, Boudu Saved from Drowning, Paul Mazursky's satire also works as a critique of L.A. nouveau riche and their crass lifestyle, reflected, among other things, in the garrish color palette.
funny with bite
Three great turns in one side-splitting movie
Filled with hilarious incidents and clever one-liners.
"Down and Out in Beverly Hills" is a remake of the 1931 Renoir film "Boudu Saved from Drowning." It also mirrors the classic "My Man Godfrey" in many ways. Though it is based on classic material dealing with the rich relating to underprivileged or down and out peoples, Mazurksy subverts these ideals by filtering through the veil of eighties' materialism. While the original content could be categorized as viewing ostentatious attitudes as a form of class struggles emanating from the bourgeoisie vs. the proletariat, this adaptation deals more with silly slapstick and aggressive hatred of snazzy outfits. Materialism is a very important concept in characterizing the rich and powerful, but when employed in dealing with big ideals here, it's used more as a way to characterize Dave and Barbara (Dreyfuss and Midler) than to unpack ideas. Besides that, the comedy just isn't succinct. It tries to make broad statements about the upper class and instead flops around making fun of everything and anything. What comes of this is a loud, aggressive kind of comedy that isn't all that funny.
Super Reviewer
An 80's movie I actually hadn't seen! Bit far fetched, especially the end - only thing that guy would have got in real life was a kicking - but mildly amusing and has the 80's comedy thing going for it. Glad I had a chance to see it.
One of the great comedies of the 1980s, blessed with a terrific cast, tells the story of a family of rich, spoiled Beverly Hills residents who take car of a tramp who failed to commit suicide in their pool. There are a few great laughs but the comedy works mostly through the characters and how the hobo ends of putting every inhabitant of the house through his own very special therapy. That's full of irony, very charming and extremely entertaining. Dreyfuss and Midler are perfect as yuppie couple, Nolte nails the tramp outstandingly. And when the Talking Heads sing their hymn "Once in a lifetime" over the final punchline in the end, we know what we always hoped for: at the end of the day, the rich are just as poor as us.
A comical scenarios, with a fun harmless feel to it, an enjoyable feel good movie
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