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.

oprlvr33 I absolutely adore Shelley Long AND Craig T. Nelson (though admittedly this is the first -and prob only- film I have seen them costar.) They are wonderfully 'matched' as estranged spouses on the brink of divorce, and juggling a peacemaking preteen daughter. At first I wasn't sure what to think as my Shelley memories are stuck in CHEERS. However, this role was perfect for her personae, and the film, absolutely enjoyable.What it boils down to, humorously, is the a-typical "diamond in the rough" indulged Beverly Hills housewife; challenged to take on an area in which she is unfamiliar but at the same time intrigued. Enter The Wilderness Girls which her daughter is involved. The fun only begins when their chairwoman snidely challenges Nefler to prove herself as a Wilderness leader.

policy134 There are really not any words that can properly describe Troop Beverly Hills, except maybe "average", "not great" or perhaps to be more offensive "bomb". Bomb is a little unfair because the movie is really no worse than a lot of mainstream 80's movies that somehow got more popular than this one.I first saw this when it was just put out on video in Denmark and at the same time the show "Cheers" was still on the air both here and of course in the U.S. We also became aware of Shelley Long's reputation here in DK because of the increasing popularity of tabloid magazines and TV. Long was embarrassed about being typed as a mere TV actress but to leave a hit show like Cheers to do this - well, the whole event speaks for itself.But just for laughs, let's try to describe the actual movie. Long is actually pretty good but it's a shame that what she is doing was basically the same thing done by Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, (there even was a time when I couldn't remember if they were actually one person - don't let that get out - oh, crap it's out now) that means playing a spoiled snob who transforms herself into a caring person. However, Hawn's turn was superior because of one thing, her Benjamin character was really quite unsympathetic in the beginning of "Benjamin". In Troop Beverly Hills we get a lengthy explanation of how Long got the way she is by having her and the husband (played by Craig T. Nelson) argue about it. That was a fatal mistake because Long's character is made out to be more of a victim than simply a snob right from the beginning and it makes her transformation so much more contrived for a lack of a better word. Sorry to get so upset by this. I know you are not supposed to take this so serious but it just annoys me.Like many comediennes, Long also longs (sorry again) to be taken seriously and therefore there are many sappy scenes between her and her daughter and also other characters that are supposed to be high drama but really just makes you wanna click the off-switch. In the end there isn't really much to either upset you or to get you laughing in this movie. Betty Thomas of Hill Street Blues was born to play the role of the head Wilderness Girl but she is not given a lot to work with. Her role is purely one-dimensional. Mary Gross is also here but she plays the ditz once more and therefore it's not really her day in the sun either.To say that this is the best film ever gross exaggeration and Long's film career pretty much stagnated until the name "Brady" creeped up. Thank god that she didn't try to make another buddy movie with Bette Midler because that was ten times more creepy than seeing this.

Kristine Girl power! Phillis is a single mother raising her daughter is in girl scouts. She lives the basic up keep style of Beverly Hills. But when the scouts need more mothers to be leaders, she steps up to the plates. She now has to learn the rules of the out doors. But being the mall addicted mother she is, she teaches the girls the rules of Beverly Hills instead of what they should know. And of course there always is a mother who disagrees. She must destroy the troops instead of being a good example. The movie is alright. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It has a few laughs. But this is nothing special.5/10