This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

From my favorite movies..

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

How did I get here? "The Talkings Heads" open this movie with their song "Once in a lifetime" in which alienation amongst familymembers is rampant. "Down and Out..." is a hilariously smart comedy by director and writer Paul Mazursky, who plays a cameo role in his own movie. Its probably his best work ever.Still as funny today as it was decades ago. You just gotta love Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midlers acting out their midlife crisis.As actors they are both at the peaks of their carreer, but as movie characters they have hit rockbottom in their dreary daily lives. Everybody in this movie is living apart together. Along comes a bum played by Nick Nolte and then fireworks start going off. Lovers of dogs and Little Richard are in for a treat. But that's just to highlight 2 loveable characters out of many. All characters are portrayed as big stereotypes. But because everyones character is overdramatized this comedy works even better. "Down and Out...¨ is endearingly human and hilariously funny! It is a true gem of a comedy with lots of smart and witty refferals to human shortcomings. Wanna have a good laugh, lay back and enjoy this eighties flick!

While this certainly has it's moments, especially in the very strong performances by Nolte, Midler and Dreyfuss, time has dulled what I remember of it's satirical edge. Paul Mazursky always seemed torn between making socially provocative if still mainstream movies, and making movies that were way too cute for their own good – and this is a great example of both sides. There are some really incisive and funny moments about what it means to be rich and poor in America. Unfortunately - for example - there are also about 300 cuts to reaction shots from the family dog – a good 290 more than needed. For every darkly subversive joke that works, there's a 'wacky' one that might feel more at home in a mid-range TV sit-com. Probably still worth seeing once for the acting, and the terrific moments that work, but - for me - not worth owning to for the loss of nerve and the moments that don't.

Barbara (Bette Midler) and Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss) are a wealthy Beverly Hills couple. He makes clothes hangers and is sleeping with the maid Carmen (Elizabeth Peña). She's obsessed with gurus and new age stuff. Their son Max is bitter with them and always filming with his camera. Their daughter Jenny (Tracy Nelson) is away at college with eating issues. The family is weird Hollywood and even the dog has a psychiatrist. Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte) is a bum. His dog has left him. He tries to drown in Whitemans' pool. Dave rescues him and invites the not-so-grateful homeless man to stay. Orvis Goodnight (Little Richard) is the next door neighbor.It's interesting that grumpy Nick Nolte is not likable at the beginning. It's also interesting that he becomes more likable as Dave becomes more angry at him. At first, it concern me where the movie was going with the character. It may not hit with big laughs but it's biting in skewering the Hollywood stereotypes. In the end, it's a fun time with some memorable characters.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills features an excellent cast doing probably their each individual best work. The casting itself is pitch perfect right down to the two dogs. But I believe the problem stems from the direction. The films claims it's a comedy, when really, it's a chuckle-delivering drama. I think director Paul Mazursky accidentally made the premise a bit too serious.You know how people say a film is "love it or hate it?" I think Down and Out in Beverly Hills is "love it or accept it." I think of these kinds of films sort of as "elegant comedies" where the sets and actors are very classy, but it's questionable you'd want to see a movie with those kind of characters. Other movies I believe fit into my sub-genre are Arthur and Fierce Creatures. They aren't bad films, but I don't believe the characters are interesting enough to carry the weight of a full length film on their backs.The plot: A rich family's life is changed when a bum tries to commit suicide in their backyard pool. The family is made wealthy because the husband, Dave Whiteman (Dreyfuss), is the head of a coat-hanger factory. His wife Barbara (Midler) is happy with the wealth, but unsatisfied as a person. Her and Dave's relationship is complex and she is more often than not left unfulfilled by her husband.The bum is played fantastically by Nick Nolte. His name is Jerry, and after his "faithful" dog companion runs away to find a home with a jogger, Jerry jumps in the Whitemans' pool when it is draining to try and kill himself. Seconds away from being gone, Dave jumps in to save the man and to revitalize him as a human being to make him happier in life.An act of role reversal is made here where the happier half is the bum and the sadder half is the wealthy family, so the film gives a sincere look at how some people live their lives and how some are happier than others. The problem is just in the way it's executed which is hard to explain. It's hokey and not as inspired as it would seem.Paul Mazurksy has a talent for squeezing the most out of his actors and giving them constant, incorruptible, shockingly well-built chemistry. Later in his career, he provided the same chemistry to Woody Allen and Bette Midler in Scene from a Mall, a movie that besides the chemistry, has little to offer. The setup between the three leads is anything but contrived and highly welcomed as they each give their own sense of screen magic.So, what is wrong with Down and Out in Beverly Hills? It's honestly hard to say. I sat through the whole thing, no interruptions, and upon finishing it I reached a quandary. I didn't know if I liked what I just watched. Sitting down, writing this hasn't helped much either. I think it's one of those films that is cute, warm, and gentle, but that's it. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what you're looking for, but there isn't much urgency or attraction equipped in the script. Just a bunch of characters wandering around, awaiting the next predicament to fall into.Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Bette Midler, and Nick Nolte. Directed by: Paul Mazursky.