A Beverly Hills... signori si diventa

I admit, I was never a serious fan of the TV show, at least not until after I saw this movie. But in my opinion, this movie may have helped reintroduce the story of the Beverly Hillbillies to a new audience. I loved it.

Plot: It all starts when Jed Clampett discovers oil on his property. Then Aunt Pearl convinces him to move to Beverly Hills. What am I saying? Y'all know the story. It's the same story as the TV show. That's one of the best things about this movie; that it stays true to the TV show. In addition, Jed has decided to come to Beverly Hills mainly to "get hitched." Now this sounds like a funny story.

Cast: The actors were probably one of the biggest aspects of the movie. The cast was funny, but also believable. The late Jim Varney (Jed) was great in one of his best "non-Ernest" roles. Dabney Coleman (Mr. Drysdale) was convincing in his role. He probably got the experience from doing "9 to 5," which also starred his co-star Lily Tomlin. Lea Thompson and Rob Schneider (Laura and Tyler) play two cons who are trying to steal the Clampett fortune. They should've known better than going up against the Clampetts. There were many other great and hilarious performances from stars like Cloris Leachman, Erika Eleniak, and Diedrich Bader.

Humor: There was the prefect balance of humor and seriousness in this movie. And the crude humor was low. If there was too much stupid or crude humor, it would've brought down the whole movie. But there was just the right amount of humor, so the movie was good.

This one may be a bit too much for the younger viewer, unless it's been edited for a few bad jokes. I recommend this one for anybody who just wants to see a funny movie.

Making a film from a book or play, regardless of how many times it was previously made is different than recasting an old TV sitcom and turning into a feature film. The difference is that in the first instance the films are based on characters as written down on paper from the mind of it's creator. No matter how many times A STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE is remade it always goes back to the characters, not the actors who portrayed them. Audiences will keep going back to the same play or film each time it is recast to see the subtle difference the recasting will change the role. That is why film versions of hit Broadway plays can be so successful. Remaking a TV sitcom is different. The new cast is not portraying the characters as originally written, they are portraying the actors' characterizations. So in films like THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES we are treated to what is essentially a Saturday Night Live style parody. Of course, some of the best SNL skits are parody and it is fun to watch when done well (impressions done well, and of course a good sense of poking fun at a beloved show). THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE was perhaps the best example of this. THE ADDAMS FAMILY was a remake, opting to go back to the original characters as created by Charles Addams in his comic strip. BATMAN and SUPERMAN also went back to their roots in the comic books and skipped most references to the TV show. In THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, the characters of Jed Clampett, Granny and the rest of the clan were created by Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, etc...and I really doubt any of the new cast searched out notes of the characters so much as they just reviewed the old shows. This is all right and in good fun and we have to keep in mind that Jim Varney is not so much playing Jed Clampett as he is playing Buddy Ebsen's Jed Clampett. Recently, someone went ahead and remade Laurel and Hardy (in which the characters and the actors were one and the same). It flopped because it wasn't a parody and the film treated the characters as if the original Stan and Ollie were merely players. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES does not make this mistake, opting to literally morph the new cast out of our memories of the old cast. This movie has a cast that is hip, fun, and funny (you got to love a film that boasts a perfect, if not quite obvious casting of Jim Varney, Erika Eleniak, and Lily Tomlin--all giving great comedic performances). Is it better than the original? No, and I don't think it was suppose to be. It was just suppose to be a way to laugh at our past, and perhaps give fans a feeling that they are not alone with their adoration of one of the great TV shows of all time.

This was one I put off seeing for some time, unable to face the prospect of a new cast portraying the Beverly Hillbillies, who had been made immortal by Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan and Company in the 1960's. When I finally saw it – about two years after it came out, I was pleasantly surprised.

Since then I have been surprised to hear the movie slammed many times and have been even MORE surprised to realize there are people who dislike the original TV series! The movie DOES have two potential strikes against it. On one hand, classic TV aficionados like myself have trouble accepting new actors in the familiar and well-loved roles as the Hillbillies and their neighbors. On the other hand, some simply did not like the classic TV show – including a few people I USED to consider friends! (lol)

Director Penelope Spheeris, seemingly not the most likely choice to bring the legendary Hillbillies to the big screen, manages to pull off the feat. No, this is not the same cast that we grew up with and, yes, the characters are interpreted slightly different by each actor. Yet, if one can let go of the `That's not Buddy!' syndrome, one can find this a quite amusing and enjoyable film.

I have to admit that I did not look closely at the back of the box when renting it. I remembered that Lily Tomlin was in, but had forgotten that Cloris Leachman and Jim Varney were also in it. I kept thinking `I've seen the guy playing Jed somewhere!' It wasn't until the outtakes at the end, when Varney flubbs a line and gives his patented `Hey Vern' looks that I realized it was him! Let it be said that the late Jim Varney – despite the quality of some of his `Ernest' movies – could ACT! Varney proves to be a very human and very believable Jed Clampett. I wish he had received more praise for it.

The entire cast is wonderful. The only question I had when first viewing it – and one I have to re-answer each time I see it – is `Was Diedrich Bader an over-the-top dud, or did he do exactly what he set out to do – play someone with the IQ of a hamhock?' I keep coming to the conclusion that Bader succeeded in giving Spheeris what she wanted from the role. It isn't easy playing a total moron. Max Baer, Jr. had his own style as Jethro and was believable and fun to watch. Bader tends to grate on my nerves a bit; maybe he reminds me a tad too much of Jerry Lewis. He was actually funnier as Jethro's twin sister, Jethrine, further supporting my belief that he found the range he wanted for Jethro.

Everyone else was outstanding. Dabney Coleman was born to play Milburne Drysdale and fits the role at LEAST as well as Raymond Bailey. Leachman and Tomlin, meanwhile, bring their own styles to the roles of Granny and `Miss Jane' Hathaway. Both are old pros and great comediannes. Leachman has plenty of energy for the Granny role and pulls if off well. Tomlin, meanwhile, turns in one of her best performances as Miss Jane. Rather than trying to mimic the late Nancy Culp, who was a one-of-a-kind, she takes the role and runs with it. This includes some body language and character perks that make Jane Hathaway all her own.

Rounding out the cast are Erika Eleniak as Elly May, Rob Schneider as creepy bank employee Woodrow Tyler, Lea Thompson as his scheming girlfriend, Laura Jackson, and Penny Fuller as Mrs. Drysdale, along with Kevin Connolly as the Drysdale's wimpy son, Morgan. Eleniak combines Nordic good looks and athleticism to pull off a role that is probably less natural for her than it was for Donna Douglas. Schneider and Thompson get a large amount of screen time and are very good as the scheming couple. Fuller is quite good as Mrs. Drysdale, while Connolly turns in very good work as Morgan. His stunned reaction when he meets Ellie Mae (having been coerced into befriending the Clampetts' daughter, whom he assumes will be `a real bow wow') is hilarious.

One interesting aside – one of the really funny little gags when the film came out, now dates it. When a fight breaks out in the gym at the wealthy prep school Ellie Mae is attending, several girls are primping in the girls' restroom. A cell phone beeps and some dozen or so girls all grab phones, answering `Hello?' We forget how fast the cordless phone phenomenon has grown! Ten years ago it was still a sign of status and/or wealth to carry one around. That ALL the girls had their own phones (no doubt nixed nowadays in most schools' student handbooks) was a cute way of showing just how affluent and spoiled these kids were!

One highlight is the surprise guest appearance of Buddy Ebsen, the original Jed, appearing in his other major TV role, Barnaby Jones. This was an inspired idea. Dolly Pardon also has an appearance, as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor, in a hilarious cameo early-on.

Overall, I would have to say that Spheeris and her cast capture the essence of the classic sit-com and do justice to the Hillbillies. So go out and rent the movie and have yoreself a heapin' helpin' of their hospitalitee! Hillbilly style!

I enjoyed the bulk of the film - the middle part. It was just the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes that I thought were incredibly too stupid to enjoy.

In that middle segment, Diedrich Baker's and Lily Tomlin's facial expressions were the highlight. I didn't mind staring at Erica Eleniak and Lea Thompson, either! It is an entertaining cast, I'll give it that, with Jim Varney, Cloris Leachman, Dabney Coleman and Rob Schneider among others. There also is some very good country music in the soundtrack, too.

Otherwise, there isn't a whole lot of positive things to say because, really, much of the humor is Dumb, yes - with a capital "D."

"The Beverly Hillbilles" is a disappointment for two reasons: (a), it comes from Penelope Spheeris, who brought us the funny "Wayne's World," and (b), it fails miserably at catching the charm of the television show. Yet with all the negative points of the film, it still manages to come of silly in its own way; it's a bad movie, but not a particularly harmful one, on the other hand.

The late Jim Varney plays Jed Clampett, who--as all we all know--discovers some oil out in Arkansas, becomes a millionaire, and moves his family out to Beverly Hills, California. This is the excuse for some half-brained and ultimately stupid gags that sometimes become so bad it's hard to watch, yet make up for themselves when the film starts to make fun of itself.

Jim Varney fits Jed pretty well, but too many of the actors and actresses seem forced and the dialogue is reminiscent of a straight-to-television flick written by authors with Writer's Block.

Too much of the film borrows from other films we've seen before--and the gags have been done in those films about ten times better. The cast is top-o'-the-notch, co-starring the likes of Lea Thompson, Cloris Leachmen, Dolly Parton, Rob Schneider, Dabney Coleman, and even the real Buddy Ebson in a cameo.

But a cameo by Buddy Ebson cannot save a badly written film.

There really is no excuse for why this film was so bad. It had a good director, an overall good cast, a good script-writer, some good cameos, and good potential for some parody. But instead it comes off dull, recycled and misused, and ultimately a rehash of everything we've seen before, done in a childish and cartoonish way.

So, yes, there are some good parts in the film, but it's not worth sitting through the rest of the film to see them.

1.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer