This '80s Camp Comedy Is a Misunderstood Classic

Shelley Long's '80s comedy is a misunderstood movie that deserves better.

Troop Beverly Hills premiered in 1989 to less than enthusiastic reviews. Fast-forward 34 years, and it has become a light-hearted cult classic that many are still unaware of today. The story of a jilted wife trying to start her life over is an age-old trope, but what makes this movie really special is the combination of aesthetics, plucky humor, and good old-fashioned fun. From Shelley Long's iconic costumes to the hilarious quips of the child actors (including the fresh young faces of Tori Spelling and Carla Gugino), Troop Beverly Hills is a misunderstood movie that deserves its flowers.

Highly acclaimed critic Roger Ebert's review of Troop Beverly Hills focused on the idea of satire and how it failed at achieving it. But did the film's creators ever say it was meant to be a satirical look at Beverly Hills? The goal of satire is to parody and make something look ridiculous, but there is also an underlying meaning behind it. Troop Beverly Hills is not that. The cult following of this movie understands this fact all too well. The actors’ performances are exaggerated and theatrical, and the plot is playful and somewhat shallow. All of these things are not satire; they’re camp. And that's what Troop Beverly Hills is! It's a camp comedy that coincidentally involves a literal camping trip. And it is highly successful at being a camp classic, something that fans quickly came to understand. Those critics would be shocked to see the following the movie has grown over the past 34 years. There are Troop Beverly Hills quote nights at movie theaters, theme parties, and more. It was a precursor for many high-femme classics that we know and love today.

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Shelley Long was in the midst of her moment in Hollywood when she made Troop Beverly Hills. She was still playing Diane on the timeless '80s comedy Cheers, and her star was clearly rising. Long was criticized in many reviews for taking this role, with some saying that, "she should have thrown away the full script". Thank goodness she didn't, because it's impossible to imagine the film without her. She approached the role of Phyllis in a specific way, deftly balancing her ability to be both overly theatrical and endearing. Many critics didn't like this choice; they wanted this light-hearted kids' movie to be a scathing statement on the elite in Beverly Hills. Yes, that's what they wanted a PG movie about a girl scout troop to be. Regardless of what the critics have to say, her performance still endures and is forever quotable. "I may be a beginner at some things, but I've got a black belt in shopping!" might be one of the best lines in the movie.

Speaking of shopping—the fashion! There is no discussion about Troop Beverly Hills without bringing fashion into the mix. The costumes designed for Shelley Long's character, Phyllis Nefler, have made her a fashion icon. The costume designer, Theodora Van Runkle, approached the costumes with artistic abandon. Most known for her Academy Award-nominated costumes in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, Van Runkle's use of line, color, and "exaggerated silhouette" is still referenced in fashion blogs today. The LA Times referred to the costume design as "cheerfully grotesque", which is utter nonsense. The critics were wrong about that, period.

Is Troop Beverly Hills a perfect movie? No. And naturally, it has moments that have not aged well, but does it actually deserve all the hate it receives? Of course not! It's a fun movie made for family viewing. So why did so many critics focus on the fact that it wasn't the biting satirical look at the rich they wanted it to be? Once again, for a PG movie for families, it makes no sense. What does make sense is the bias women-led movies face. Recent studies have shown that gender bias in film criticism is a very real problem— see Dr. Martha Lauzen's study on women's representation in the world of movie critiques. The results were troubling, but not at all surprising. According to her study, out of the total number of critics in the United States, 65% of them were men. The study also shows that men are more likely to rate women-led movies poorly. This study was completed in 2022. With statistics like this in recent years, one can only imagine how it was in the 1980s. So many reviews of Troop Beverly Hills have descriptions that would make anyone believe it is heinous and never should have been made. That is simply not true.

Thankfully, people have fallen in love with it and see it for the delightful campy comedy that it is. It's a fun story that is a feel-good watch. It has contributed to pop culture in the same way that Clueless, Legally Blonde, and other movies have. Troop Beverly Hills is a wonderful meld of humor, fashion, and occasionally cheesy moments, and it deserves more recognition.

Sheridan Singleton, much like Corben Dallas, is a meat popsicle. If you know her IRL, then you'd know her first Collider article is on brand. She loves all things TV, Movies, Music, and trashy reality TV. She loves digging into stories and finding the truth under the surface, and intends to do that here as much as possible. She resides in utter delight with her man and her beautiful baby black cat, named Onyx.