The movie is about a wealthy but deranged couple who seem to be doing odd work. They save the life of a homeless man who tries to commit suicide. It is a task that can completely change the life of this family.
This update of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning starts life as a satire on the tribal rites of the new and filthy rich, but goes badly wrong somewhere down the line.
A single moment of magical realism shows the Babe-that-might-have-been, very charitably speaking, had the makers of this doggie adventure-comedy chosen a more daring and creative route...
Although it is more of a comedy of manners than a well-developed story, there are enough yocks and bright moments to make it a thoroughly enjoyable outing.
As a comedy of manners it has a dependably keen aim, with its most wicked barbs leavened by Mr. Mazursky's obvious fondness for his characters.
Chicago Reader
January 01, 2000
Paul Mazursky hasn't only remade Jean Renoir's sublime 1931 Boudu Saved From Drowning: he's yuppified it, inverting virtually every meaning until the film becomes a celebration of the crassest kind of materialism.
A funny and poignant if also broad reworking of Renoir's classic, Boudu Saved from Drowning, Paul Mazursky's satire also works as a critique of L.A. nouveau riche and their crass lifestyle, reflected, among other things, in the garrish color palette.
