Troop Beverly Hills

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Troop Beverly Hills
Troop Beverly Hills.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeff Kanew
Screenplay byPamela Norris
Margaret Grieco Oberman
Story byAva Ostern Fries
Produced byAva Ostern Fries
Starring
CinematographyDonald E. Thorin
Edited byMark Melnick
Music byRandy Edelman
Production
companies
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • March 24, 1989 (1989-03-24)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million
Box office$8,508,843[1]

Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American comedy film. Produced by the Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham and introducing Jenny Lewis as Hannah Nefler. The film features a host of young actors, including Tori Spelling, Carla Gugino, Emily Schulman, Ami Foster, and Kellie Martin.[2]

Plot[]

Phyllis Nefler is a socialite wife recently separated from her husband Freddy, a wealthy owner of an auto shop chain. In an attempt to maintain the relationship with her daughter Hannah during the contentious divorce, Phyllis becomes the den mother of Hannah's unruly, leaderless local girl scout troop of Wilderness Girls.

Their first campout results in the troop getting caught in a rain squall, prompting Phyllis to take the girls to 'camp out' at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Despite her unorthodox ways, Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls' well-being and becomes a surrogate mother to the troop. Although Phyllis lacks the skills found in most troop leaders (due to a lack of interest in anything found in the 'wilderness'), she resolves to teach the girls how to survive in "the wilds of Beverly Hills", even customizing new merit badges for her troop.

Phyllis' unorthodox methods run afoul of another scout leader, Velda Plendor, a mean-spirited, retired army nurse who runs the Culver City "Red Feathers" in which her own daughter, Cleo, is a member. Because Velda has considerable pull at the regional council level, she declares Phyllis' customized merit badges ineligible. Velda sends her assistant troop leader Annie Herman to infiltrate Troop Beverly Hills and sabotage them. She repeatedly tries to get the troop disbanded and Phyllis fired, but her boss, Frances Temple, does not agree. Velda and Annie's spying demonstrates to Frances that while Phyllis may be unusual, she has taken an active interest in these girls and is trying to help them learn to survive their personal environment.

Troop Beverly Hills can gain recognition from the regional council by passing a series of tests at an upcoming Jamboree. In order to qualify, the troop needs to sell 1,000 boxes of cookies. To prevent this, Velda one-ups Troop Beverly Hills by selling cookies in their own neighborhood. Seeing this, Annie sides with Phyllis and offers her abilities and insider knowledge to the girls. Despite her unusual nature, Phyllis is beginning to learn at this point; for example, when her Hollywood friends ask her if they should solve the problem by buying the cookies, Phyllis points out that them doing that misses the entire point about building community—they may well end up going the glamour route to sell the cookies, but it's still a legitimate attempt to do it meaningfully, at least for Beverly Hills. The Troop's sales drive sells over 4,000 boxes, more than enough to qualify for the Jamboree. Phyllis invites Velda to a party at the Barnfell estate so that she may receive a check for the earnings.

At the party, Velda takes her anger out on Annie, who snaps back, standing up to her superior for the first time. Meanwhile, Phyllis reconnects with Freddy for the first time. They speak to each other while dancing, and Freddy tells her he is proud that she has accomplished something. A few moments later, Phyllis learns that Freddy wants to proceed with the divorce, including seeking joint custody of Hannah. Phyllis is devastated and falls into the swimming pool.

The morning after the party, Velda talks Phyllis out of attending the Jamboree, warning that the wilderness is filled with dangers that include swamps and wild animals, and Phyllis will be held responsible if anyone in Troop Beverly Hills is injured. Phyllis sinks into a deep depression and decides to disband the troop, but Hannah and the other girls change her mind; one girl, Tessa, comments that Phyllis has given them a new sense of self-esteem.

During the Jamboree, the Red Feathers trick Troop Beverly Hills during the competition by misdirecting them into a snake-infested swamp. Luckily, a skunk scares them into running through a shortcut, making them first in the qualifying event. The next day, Velda cheats again by cutting a rope bridge after her troop crosses and by leading them into a restricted area used only for hunting. However, Velda falls and breaks her ankle. The Red Feathers, now led by Cleo, abandoned Velda for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills repairs the bridge and finds Velda. Tessa diagnoses her broken ankle (and a severe personality disorder). The girls reluctantly carry her to the finish line after Phyllis reminds them that they have to be considerate to those in need — especially a fellow Wilderness Girl.

Though the Red Feathers cross the finish line first, they are disqualified because council law stipulates the leader must be with the troop. Cleo steals the trophy. Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winners of the Jamboree and are validated as Wilderness Girls. Frances Temple, the regional leader, fires Velda for cheating and for placing the Troop Beverly Hills girls in jeopardy. Freddy, intrigued by Phyllis's complete turnaround, is interested in calling off the divorce. After working through their issues with one another, they get back together.

The next year, Troop Beverly Hills is the designated Poster Troop. Velda is forced to take a job at Kmart after her actions made her virtually unemployable.

Cast[]

  • Shelley Long as Phyllis Nefler, a Beverly Hills socialite and the new leader of Wilderness Girls Troop Beverly Hills
  • Craig T. Nelson as Freddy Nefler, Phyllis's entrepreneur husband and Hannah's estranged father
  • Betty Thomas as Velda Plendor, the ruthless leader of a rival troop who is the main antagonist of the group and wants to get rid of Troop Beverly Hills
  • Mary Gross as Annie Herman, Velda's assistant and spy, and later Phyllis' assistant
  • Karen Kopins as Lisa, Freddy Nefler's new fiancée
  • Jenny Lewis as Hannah Nefler, Phyllis and Freddy's daughter who just wants her mother to lead like a normal troop leader. She's also a skilled gymnast
  • Emily Schulman as Tiffany Honigman, the daughter of a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon
  • Carla Gugino as Chica Barnfell, a stern girl who's generally left alone by her jet-setting parents
  • Aquilina Soriano as Lily Marcigan, the daughter of Dictator Bong Bong and Karina (based on Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos respectively) who rule an unspecified Southeast Asian country
  • Kellie Martin as Emily Coleman, the daughter of an unemployed actor
  • Tasha Scott as Jasmine Shakar, the outspoken daughter of a well-known boxer
  • Heather Hopper as Tessa DiBlasio, the daughter of a well-known movie director, and in many ways a genius who has learned a bit too much from her therapist.
  • Ami Foster as Claire Sprantz, a child actress/daughter of a romance novelist and a successful lawyer
  • Audra Lindley as Frances Temple, the head leader of Los Angeles County Wilderness Girls who is undermined by Velda
  • Stephanie Beacham as Vicki Sprantz, Claire's mother, romance novelist, and Phyllis' friend
  • Shelley Morrison as Rosa, Phyllis' maid who helps out with the troop
  • Dinah Lacey as Cleo Plendor, Velda's daughter and a member of the Culver City Red Feathers
  • Tori Spelling as Jamie, Cleo's friend and troopmate who helps sabotage Troop Beverly Hills
  • Willie Garson as Bruce
  • Mary Pat Gleason as a kindly troop leader
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as himself
  • Frankie Avalon as himself
  • Dr. Joyce Brothers as herself
  • Annette Funicello as herself
  • Robin Leach as himself
  • Cheech Marin as himself
  • Ted McGinley as himself
  • Pia Zadora as herself
  • Hilary Shepard as Salesgirl

Locations[]

Many landmarks in Beverly Hills are seen throughout the film, including: Beverly Hills Hotel, Cristophe Salon, Jane Fonda's "Workout", Wolfgang Puck's Spago, and Rodeo Drive.

Reception[]

Troop Beverly Hills was poorly received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of 14% based on 28 reviews.[3] However, in recent years, it has become a cult classic for its subtle feminist message and being illustrative of the 1980s.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Troop Beverly Hills at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ Janet Maslin (1989). "Troop Beverly Hills". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Troop Beverly Hills (1989)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  4. ^ https://www.themarysue.com/top-5-reasons-troop-beverly-hills-the-best/

External links[]

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