Slums of Beverly Hills
In 1976, a lower-middle-class teenager struggles to cope living with her neurotic family of nomads on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.
Working with a modest budget of $5.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $5.5M in global revenue (+10% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) exhibits precise plot construction, characteristic of Tamara Jenkins's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 31 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Vivian Abramowitz
Murray Abramowitz
Rita
Rickey Abramowitz
Ben Abramowitz
Eliot
Doris
Main Cast & Characters
Vivian Abramowitz
Played by Natasha Lyonne
A 15-year-old girl navigating puberty and family chaos while her struggling father moves the family between cheap apartments in Beverly Hills
Murray Abramowitz
Played by Alan Arkin
Vivian's perpetually struggling father who moves his family constantly to stay in the 90210 school district while avoiding financial responsibility
Rita
Played by Marisa Tomei
Vivian's rebellious cousin who runs away from rehab and brings drugs, chaos, and a window into a different kind of dysfunction
Rickey Abramowitz
Played by Kevin Corrigan
Vivian's oldest brother, a nurse who represents relative stability and serves as a mediator in family conflicts
Ben Abramowitz
Played by David Krumholtz
Vivian's middle brother who shares her experience of the chaotic upbringing and adolescent confusion
Eliot
Played by Carl Reiner
Rita's wealthy, controlling father and Murray's brother who tries to impose order and offers financial help with strings attached
Doris
Played by Jessica Walter
Murray's ex-wife and the children's mother who appears periodically, representing the broken family unit
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Vivian lies in the back of a moving truck with her brothers as the Abramowitz family relocates yet again, establishing their nomadic existence within Beverly Hills' borders to stay in the school district.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Cousin Rita arrives unexpectedly, fresh from fleeing a rehab facility. Her wealthy father Mickey offers to support the family financially if they take Rita in, disrupting Vivian's already unstable world.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Vivian actively chooses to embrace Rita as a roommate and confidante, moving into their new nicer apartment funded by Mickey's money. She crosses into a new world of possibility and chaos., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False victory: Rita seems to be getting her life together and Vivian has her first real romantic experience with Eliot. The family appears stable for the first time, but cracks are forming beneath the surface., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 68 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Rita has an emotional breakdown and the family's arrangement collapses. Mickey arrives to take Rita back, Murray confronts his brother about their dysfunctional family dynamic, and Vivian watches her hopes for stability crumble., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Vivian realizes she can love her family while also acknowledging their flaws. She synthesizes Rita's lessons about independence with her own understanding of loyalty, choosing to stay with her family on her own terms., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Slums of Beverly Hills's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Slums of Beverly Hills against these established plot points, we can identify how Tamara Jenkins utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Slums of Beverly Hills within the comedy genre.
Tamara Jenkins's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Tamara Jenkins films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Slums of Beverly Hills takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tamara Jenkins filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Tamara Jenkins analyses, see The Savages.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Vivian lies in the back of a moving truck with her brothers as the Abramowitz family relocates yet again, establishing their nomadic existence within Beverly Hills' borders to stay in the school district.
Theme
Murray tells Vivian that family sticks together no matter what, articulating the film's central theme about the complicated bonds of family loyalty versus individual identity and independence.
Worldbuilding
The Abramowitz family's chaotic world is established: Murray's obsession with keeping his kids in Beverly Hills schools despite poverty, Vivian's awkward puberty and new bra, her brothers' dysfunction, and their cramped apartment living.
Disruption
Cousin Rita arrives unexpectedly, fresh from fleeing a rehab facility. Her wealthy father Mickey offers to support the family financially if they take Rita in, disrupting Vivian's already unstable world.
Resistance
The family debates taking Rita in and accepting Mickey's money. Rita becomes an unlikely guide figure for Vivian, introducing her to a more adult world of sexuality, drugs, and rebellion while Vivian weighs the costs of family obligation.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Vivian actively chooses to embrace Rita as a roommate and confidante, moving into their new nicer apartment funded by Mickey's money. She crosses into a new world of possibility and chaos.
Mirror World
Vivian meets Eliot, the pot-dealing neighbor, beginning a flirtation that represents her awakening sexuality and desire for connection outside her dysfunctional family unit.
Premise
Vivian navigates her new life with Rita as her guide to adulthood: experimenting with vibrators, learning about sex, bonding with Eliot, and enjoying the relative stability of their Mickey-funded apartment while family tensions simmer.
Midpoint
False victory: Rita seems to be getting her life together and Vivian has her first real romantic experience with Eliot. The family appears stable for the first time, but cracks are forming beneath the surface.
Opposition
Rita's instability resurfaces as she reveals she's pregnant. Mickey threatens to cut off funding. Murray's desperation grows. Vivian is caught between loyalty to Rita and her father's increasingly erratic behavior. Family secrets and resentments boil over.
Collapse
Rita has an emotional breakdown and the family's arrangement collapses. Mickey arrives to take Rita back, Murray confronts his brother about their dysfunctional family dynamic, and Vivian watches her hopes for stability crumble.
Crisis
Vivian processes the loss of Rita and the exposure of her family's dysfunction. She must confront what family really means and whether she can forge her own identity while remaining loyal to her chaotic father.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Vivian realizes she can love her family while also acknowledging their flaws. She synthesizes Rita's lessons about independence with her own understanding of loyalty, choosing to stay with her family on her own terms.
Synthesis
The family moves again, but this time Vivian accepts the chaos with new maturity. She says goodbye to Eliot, reconciles the complexities of her father's love, and Rita departs having found some peace. The family unit endures, imperfect but intact.
Transformation
Vivian again rides in the back of a moving truck, but now she's transformed: no longer an awkward girl embarrassed by her body and family, but a young woman who has accepted both herself and the beautiful chaos of the Abramowitz clan.