Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham, and Jenny Lewis in her film debut. The film features a host of young actors, including Ami Foster, Carla Gugino, Kellie Martin, Emily Schulman, and Tori Spelling. Phyllis becomes an unlikely den mother to the girls, who are not taken seriously by other troops. When Phyllis falls afoul of a rival troop leader, the girls face the possibility of having their group dissolved—unless they can prove their wilderness skills at the annual Jamboree.
Though the film was not a financial success during its release and received negative critical reception, it has since acquired a cult following as a 1980s children's film with a feminist message.
Principal photography began in Los Angeles on May 31, 1988. All exterior locations were filmed in Beverly Hills, aside from several sequences shot in Malibu State Park. Many landmarks in Beverly Hills are seen throughout the film, including Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills Hotel, Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Jane Fonda's Workout, and Cartier. Filming also took place on Sunset Boulevard. Various celebrities, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Cheech Marin, make cameo appearances in the film.
Reception
Troop Beverly Hills was poorly received by critics during its release. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on a scale of A+ to F.
Roger Ebert criticized the film for not being the "merciless evisceration of the lifestyles of the rich" that he expected, but instead more of a morality story arc for Shelley Long's character. Some reviews lambasted the script for its formulaic underdog story, with The Washington Posts Rita Kempley chiding the film for its attempt to cast Beverly Hills youth in the underdog role. "Pity the poor little Beverlies: Children from lower income groups laugh at their Giorgio boutique backpacks. Then Velda strips the girls of the badges they've earned for facials and pricing jewelry. She further derides them for holding their camp-out at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they tell horror stories about bad haircuts."
Some critics called attention to Long's comedic performance as one of the film's strengths. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "Troop Beverly Hills is a one-idea movie, and the idea isn't new. But it isn't threadbare either, thanks to the indefatigable pluck of Shelley Long, who plays a spiritual sister to Private Benjamin". However, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called the film "a limp copy of Private Benjamin" and said that "Long is no [[Goldie Hawn|[Goldie] Hawn]] when it comes to comedy."
In the years since its release, the film has become a cult classic for its subtle feminist message and being illustrative of the 1980s, having gained newer audiences through repeat airings on Disney Channel in the 1990s. Writing for Elle in 2014, Elissa Strauss contended the film's sympathy for its young protagonists, its refusal "to reduce the characters and setting down to a punch line", and an "unrestrained celebration of girliness, glorious girliness" are precisely what has helped the film endure as a classic.
In a retrospective piece for Birth.Movies.Death, Ashlee Blackwell wrote: <blockquote>In the end, it's the troop's persistence and support of each other, even in moments of doubt, that carries them to a win at the climatic Wilderness Jamboree competition…Troop Beverly Hills thoughtfully exposes the complexities of divorce, social/class culture and personal growth in a light comedy very much loyal to its time. The film tampers with audience expectations of people with money, blurring the lines of good/bad, rich/not rich. Troop Beverly Hills dared to tell young girls (and women) to never compromise the best of yourself for people or things…Even with its blemishes, Troop Beverly Hills heart was always in the right place. What a thrill.