If you've seen it before it's worth a re-visit and if you haven't seen it I recommend you do. LA looks splendid and it's a funny, well crafted movie with greater depths than the humour belies. If you think being wealthy in LA would be nice, this film shows that while it indeed would be a very comfortable life, we shouldn't forget that we can still have an empty place inside that only people can fulfil in whatever weird or wonderful way that may be.
Only some of the sets - most of which are still strikingly 'now' - date this humorous observation of what we have come to label affluenza. Nolte stars as the vagrant who finds himself suddenly living in the home of a successful business man and unwittingly gives each member of the dysfunctional family a little of what they discover is missing from their otherwise over-priviledged lives. The son's home made movies which he feels are his only form of communication with his disinterested parents are an insightful pre-cursor to the video-art with which we now may be more familiar (I won't make an essay of that - this isn't art history - although they could warrant comment themselves). Bette Midler is a riot as ever, despite the psuedo-zen aspirations of her character. Enjoyable cameo from Little Richard as their neighbour is attributed with revitalising his career.
So pleased it's available on DVD.