Down and Out in Beverly Hills

Down and Out in Beverly Hills. 1986 Touchstone Pictures.
Starring: Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss, Little Richard, Tracy Nelson
Director: Paul Mazursky
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of a two-fer with Ruthless People.

The first R-rated movie ever released by Disney, through their subsidary Touchstone Pictures, and it was based on Jean Renoir's 1932 film Boudu Saved from Drowning.

Dave and Barbara Whiteman (Dreyfuss & Midler) are a very rich, but not happy Beverly Hills couple. Their children are dealing with sexuality confusion and eating disorders, and Dave is also sleeping with the house maid since Barbara is only interested in yoga and aerobics. Even the family dog Matisse seems to be suffering from depression. During Thanksgiving, they meet Jerry Baskin (Nolte), a hard on his luck bum who decides to end it all by drowning himself in the Whitemans' pool after losing his beloved dog, which was all he had left. He is saved, and taken in by the family.

After making himself at home, Jerry starts influencing the entire family, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worst. This begins to anger Dave, who feels that Jerry is taking advantage of his kindness.

Not bad, but not as funny as I remember it from my childhood. I think I should also give Renoir's 1932 film a viewing pretty soon, just to compare the two.