Slums of Beverly Hills
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: August 14, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Slums of Beverly Hills has the kind of big heart, strong voice, vivid look, and original sense of humor many young artists -- particularly young female artists -- don't find until they're riper, and some never find at all. Read full review
80
NewsweekJeff Giles
Tamara Jenkins, a first-time writer-director, films the proceedings with such a quirky eye the movie looks like a retro postcard. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubJoshua klein
Beneath the sitcom-like surface of Slums lies a realistic coming-of-age story, perfectly cast and effectively acted with just a hint of tragedy. Read full review
80
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
They've created far and away the most complex, appealing female character in a summer of soldiers, sword fighters and asteroid blasters. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Like its Southern California setting, the sunny semi-autobiography is tempered with just the right touch of Jenkins's smoggy cynicism. Read full review
80
The New YorkerKen Marks
Writer-director Tamara Jenkins hits on a visual style that perfectly reflects her script's endearing juxtaposition of wackiness, sweetness, and sorrow. Read full review
75
Rolling StoneStaff(Not credited)
Jenkins shows an innate gift for lacing laughs with the pain of experience -- Slums is based on her own life. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Slums of Beverly Hills is less a hard-edged exposé than a mood-shifting satire, though approaching its subject with a wryly ironic touch. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The film, written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, is pitched pretty firmly at that level of ambition: Broadly drawn characters, quick one-liners, squabbling family members, lots of sex. Read full review
75
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
Her first feature, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy, is a nicely directed, well-written debut. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Many times, films that combine comedy and drama do so in an uncomfortable and unwieldy manner. In Slums of Beverly Hills, the approach is natural and satisfying. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Writing and directing her first feature, Jenkins mines her life for nug gets everyone can relate to. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Ms. Jenkins, who makes her writing and directing debut with wit and confidence, keeps the small surprises frequent and the coming-of-age perspective sharp. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
It's one of those movies that gets bonus points for being "personal" -- it bops along from episode to episode, as if the filmmaker were discovering her subject as she went along. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Though hypocritical in the way it sensationalizes sexuality, this serious and funny 1998 movie about a 15-year-old coming to terms with her body and her family in 1976 is, refreshingly, never coy or ironic. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A very funny and well-acted comedy about the slings and arrows of outrageous adolescence. Read full review
60
SlateDavid Edelstein
The Slums of Beverly Hills never gels, but it has a likable spirit, and it's exceedingly easy on the eye, with lots of pretty girls and wry evocations of '70s fashions and decor. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesJack Mathews
It feels like a vague, upscale knockoff of "The Beverly Hillbillies," and Jenkins' eagerness to please with class-conscious jokiness often comes at the expense of her solid underlying issues. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The film flawlessly captures the directionless alienation of youngsters whose families are in no shape to guide them through the turbulence of their teenage years. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
While Slums of Beverly Hills may sound like a downer, Jenkins tempers the family's downbeat circumstances with sympathetic humor, a quirky camera style and lo-fi retro flavor. Read full review
60
VarietyEmanuel Levy
A notch or two above the level of a TV sitcom, Slums of Beverly Hills, Tamara Jenkins' semi-autobiographical feature directorial debut, is a bawdy, extremely broad comedy. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Ray Conlogue
There's an alchemy that can transform personal experience into a great film, but it was nowhere nearby when Tamara Jenkins wrote and directed this lacklustre first feature. Read full review
More From This Movie

68 Critic Reviews

7.6 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL