Troop Beverly Hills

Troop Beverly Hills
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jeff Kanew
Produced by	Ava Ostern Fries
Written by	Ava Ostern Fries (story) Pamela Norris Margaret Oberman
Starring	Shelley Long Craig T. Nelson Betty Thomas Mary Gross Jenny Lewis
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	March 24, 1989
Running time	100 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million
Box office	$8,508,843

Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American comedy film. Produced by Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, it starred Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Shelley Morrison, a host of young stars including Tori Spelling, Carla Gugino, Jenny Lewis, Emily Schulman, Ami Foster, and Kellie Martin, and numerous celebrities in cameo appearances as themselves.

Synopsis

Phyllis Nefler (Long), a Beverly Hills wife going through a divorce with her lawyer-entrepreneur husband Fred (Nelson), decides to deal with it by becoming the leader of the unruly local troop of the Wilderness Girls (an allusion to the real Girl Scouts of the USA), of which her daughter, Hannah (Jenny Lewis), is a member. Her Beverly Hills sensibilities result in a change in the program for the girls in her troop, who are all the children of socialites, to get them more interested in the program.

Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls' well-being (although at one point she tries to quit as troop leader, believing she has failed the girls, but they convince her to stay), by showing an interest in the girls while many of their wealthy parents neglect them.

She also shows that she is not as vapid as one would at first think: she is unfailingly nice to everyone and shows that despite her extravagant lifestyle that she knows money isn't everything — friendship is more important.

Phyllis's unorthodox ways run afoul of another leader, Velda Plendor (Thomas), a traditionalist who runs her troop, the Culver City "Red Feathers" which her own daughter, Cleo belongs to, like a military unit, and has considerable pull at the regional council level.

Velda sends her assistant troop leader, Annie Herman, to Troop Beverly Hills to infiltrate it and try to get them disbanded, but she eventually defects when she realizes that despite the fact that the "Red Feathers" are traditional Wilderness Girls, they are also mean-spirited cheaters who will do whatever it takes to get an edge on their competition.

From customized achievement patch classes, to a star-studded cookie sales drive, to dealing with the turmoil of the rich life and trying to maintain it, it all leads to a campout-competition, The Wilderness Girl Jamboree, where the girls and their leader have to prove themselves as Wilderness Girls in order to survive as a troop.

During the Jamboree, Velda sabotages Troop Beverly Hills in order for the Red Feathers to win, especially cutting down the rope bridge which fails. However, when she is hurt near the finish line while trying to take a short cut, her own troop especially Cleo leaves her behind for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills happens upon her and reluctantly carry her to the finish.

Although the Red Feathers crossed the finish line first, they are disqualified because they did so without their leader. Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winners of the Jamboree, validating them as true Wilderness Girls. Francis Temple fires Velda from the Wilderness Girls Organization. The girls' families show up moments later very proud of them.

Phyllis's commitment to the troop impresses her husband Fred (who had been frustrated by her inability to finish anything) and they reconnect at the end of the film. Troop Beverly Hills is then seen as the next Year's Poster Troop, then Velda is shown with a very humiliating job at K-Mart announcing a "Blue Light Special" on cookies.

Characters

• Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) - Beverly Hills socialite and new leader of Wilderness Girls Troop Beverly Hills
• Freddy Nefler (Craig T. Nelson) - Husband of Phyllis, Hannah's father, and entrepreneur
• Hannah Nefler (Jenny Lewis) - Phyllis and Freddy's daughter who just wants her mother to lead like a normal troop leader
• Tiffany Honigman (Emily Schulman) - Daughter of a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon
• Chica Barnfell (Carla Gugino)- Stern girl who is generally left alone by her jet-setting parents
• Lily Marcigan (Aquilina Soriano) - Daughter of Dictator Bong Bong and Karina (based on Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos respectively) who rule an unspecified Southeast Asian country
• Emily Coleman (Kellie Martin) - Daughter of an unemployed actor
• Jasmine Shakar (Tasha Scott) - Outspoken daughter of a well-known boxer
• Tessa DiBlasio (Heather Hopper) - Daughter of two well-known movie directors
• Claire Sprantz (Ami Foster) - Child actress/daughter of a romance novelist and a successful lawyer
• Annie Herman (Mary Gross) - Velda's assistant and spy
• Frances Temple (Audra Lindley) - Head leader of Los Angeles County Wilderness Girls who is often undermined by Velda
• Vicki Sprantz (Stephanie Beacham) - Claire's mother, romance novelist and Phyllis' friend
• Rosa (Shelley Morrison) - Phyllis' maid who helps out with the troop
• Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas) - Ruthless leader who despises Phyllis and her troop's Beverly Hills attitude
• Cleo Plendor (Dinah Lacey) - Daughter of Velda, who does not have a mother/daughter relationship but only a troop relationship
• Jamie (Tori Spelling) - Cleo's friend who is helping sabotage Troop Beverly Hills

Cameos

Several prominent people make cameos in the films including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pia Zadora, Robin Leach, Cheech Marin, salonist Christophe Schatteman, reporter George Christy, Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Dr. Joyce Brothers.

Locations

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

External links

• Troop Beverly Hills on the Internet Movie Database.
• Troop Beverly Hills at Rotten Tomatoes
• Troop Beverly Hills at Box Office Mojo