Raetsonwe
Redundant and unnecessary.
ShangLuda
Admirable film.
ChanFamous
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Quiet Muffin
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
SnoopyStyle
The Wilderness Girls of America is considering closing the Beverly Hills chapter with only 8 active members. Rich wife Phyllis (Shelley Long) is the new troop leader for the sake of her daughter Hannah (Jenny Lewis) and furthest from a wilderness girl. She is about to divorce husband Freddy Nefler (Craig T. Nelson). The girls are from different backgrounds. Phyllis runs afoul of militaristic troop leader Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas) who sends in assistant Annie Herman (Mary Gross) to infiltrate them.The premise is silly but it could still work as a kids movie. In fact, that's where it falters. It concentrates too much on Shelley Long when it should spend the time with the girls. The best moment is making a birthday party for one of the girls. The movie needs more of those moments and time together for the girls. This really needed to be a true kids movie but the studio made it a Shelley Long vehicle. There are some fascinating stars when they were small girls. Tori Spelling is one of the villains and I'm surprised to see a young Carla Gugino. The story is pretty standard in this family fare. Some of it is enjoyable but it could have been much better.
Amy Adler
In Beverly Hills, Phyllis (Shelley Long) has a blackbelt in shopping and a gloriously posh mansion. Unfortunately, her estranged husband, Freddy (Craig T. Nelson), who is a wealthy muffler franchise owner, has moved into the guest house in the backyard and has filed for divorce. When pressed, he says its because Phyllis spends to much time and money on frivolous things. Yet, long ago, Phyllis worked to support her husband through law school and was his every desire. So, is there still a spark? Its not certain. Also at this moment, their daughter Hannah's Wilderness Girls troop needs a leader and Phyllis volunteers. Right away, she manages to offend one of the Girls district commanders, Velda (Betty Thomas), who gets upset when Phyllis turns a rained-on campout into a slumber party at a swanky hotel. More trouble arrives when Phyllis invents new "patches" for her girls to earn, like jewelry appraisal and "sixties dancing". But, the troop is a quick study. In the annual cookie sales, Phyllis and the girls sell more than 3,000 boxes, due to creative techniques. Velda's daughter's troop finishes second, much to the leader's chagrin. Therefore, at the upcoming wilderness survival competition, out in the woods, Velda vows revenge on Troop BH. Can she carry her bad-hearted plans to fruition? This film still leaves em laughing, even though it will never win any awards. Long has one of her best movie roles ever as the shopaholic, trend-setting housewife from 90210 while Nelson, Thomas, Mary Gross and all of the other cast members do nice work, too. Look for Carla Gugino and Kellie Martin as two of the troop's girls! Also wonderful is the tongue-in-cheek script which pokes fun at the lifestyles of the rich and famous while showing their glories at the same time. Naturally, the sets, costumes, and photography are quite lovely. The ever-moving, comic direction completes this fun little flick. Are you having a bad day? Snag this little movie and you will giggle away the blues.
araceliearambula
Some people are really arrogant sometimes when they review things, and I hate when people use the word "cheesy" because it's ridiculous to assume that what's "cool" at this moment in time was always cool, fads and fashions change, people call the 1990s wave hairstyle cheesy now, but you never called it cheesy when you were in 8th grade rocking that style. That makes you and many others who use the word "cheesy" just a bunch of hypocrites.Same goes for this movie.I loved this movie as a child, the acting is great, people always underestimate it cause they're not actors, but I am, and it's harder to portray comedic roles than it is for dramatic roles, and actors who play comedic roles are among the most underestimated actors in the entire world. Shelley Long was amazing in this, it had a heart warming message, I watched it today and still love it as much as I did when I was a child. They don't make movies like this anymore, films nowadays look exactly alike and use the same formulas.The chemistry between Craig T. Nelson and Shelly Long was great, and the writing was so funny, I laughed so hard and I got a lot of the dirty jokes now as a 26 year old that I never did as a child. Just a heartwarming funny movie to relax with. Screw the arrogant critics! Not every film has to be a thought provoking life changing drama, if every movie was like that, I think we'd just all commit suicide! Some people are just unhappy in general, and some people need to lighten up! Comedies in general are underrated, especially those from the 80s and 90s, when those were the ones that provided the groundwork for today's comedies. This movie was great, a classic!
Mer_Girl_Fits_Heaven
I recently discovered that this movie was a box office flop and was panned across the board by critics. Why? I have no idea. I love this movie, maybe because I saw it for the first time when I was very young and thus not grounded in whatever makes everyone else dislike this movie. But not everyone else dislikes this movie. Everyone I know who has seen it (say, 15 people) enjoyed it thoroughly.It's simple, fun and light hearted. There's no social commentary, or moment of dramatic epiphany, its just a fun escapist romp about what a pampered Beverly Hills Housewife would do if she was stuck in the wilderness.Shelley long is wonderful. Rather than complain about her surroundings, she is always cheerful and proactive, and consequently never boring. Furthermoe, the wonderfully campy musical numbers and Robin Leech cameo make this a pleasure thats innocent as can be.
