Down and Out in Beverly Hills **** (1986, Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss) – Classic Movie Review 8626

Co-writer / producer / director Paul Mazursky’s 1986 comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a remake of Jean Renoir’s 1932 classic Boudu Sauvé des Eaux and is an unexpected success, mainly thanks to the trio of exuberantly funny performances from Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler as the married couple dave and Barbara Whiteman who befriend dirty bum, or tramp Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte), after saving him from drowning in their pool.

It was nominated for two Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical (Bette Midler).

Mazursky co-wrote the script (with Leon Capetanos) from René Fauchois’s play, and also appears as Dreyfuss’s rich friend, Sidney Waxman.

Also in the cast are Little Richard, Tracy Nelson, Elizabeth Peña, Richard Penniman, Evan Richards, Valerie Curtin, Donald F Muhich, Jack Bruskoff, Geraldine Dreyfuss, Irene Tsu and Barry Primus, with Mike the Dog as Matisse.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8626

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