Product Details

• Actors: Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Jim Varney, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin
• Directors: Penelope Spheeris
• Writers: Jim Fisher, Jim Staahl, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Paul Henning
• Producers: Penelope Spheeris, Ian Bryce
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: May 14, 1996
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303037453
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,850 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Item Name: The Beverly Hillbillies; Studio: 20th Century Fox

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious If Predictable Entertainment!, September 16, 2002

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beverly Hillbillies [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one I save for time requiring sheer silliness with no observable traces of reality. I have to admit that it is a very contrived and predictable plot, but anything that is such an obvious spin-off of a fabulously popular television series would have a hard time being anything but derivative. Having said all that, I laughed all the way through the movie, and still chuckle thinking about a lot of the slapstick shtick used so liberally here. The storyline has been updated to make it a bit more topical, and the characters as depicted in the movie are slightly more contemporary than their counterparts in the TV series. But they are just as refreshingly corny and ordinary, and sometimes that is such an invigorating act to watch that it seems liberating somehow.

The cast is uniformly terrific; the best is easily the late Jim Varney, showing surprising range in his star-turn recreating the Jed Clampett character in the shadow of the legendary Buddy Ebsen, who so many of us baby-boomers remember as being Jed Clampett. Of course, Cloris Leachman shows why she is such a celebrated actress in her hilariously naughty portrayal of Granny, and Erika Eleniak gives a wonderfully corny interpretation of sexy but innocent Elly Mae, more interested in ?rasslin? than boys, and as quick to ?whup? those boys if they get our of line.

Also quite good is Diedrich Bader as Jethro (and also acting in drag as Jethro?s sister Jethrine, on the make and virtually unstoppable), as is Dabney Coleman as Mr. Drysdale, and a wonderful Lily Tomlin as Miss Hathaway. Of course, the villains are key in all this, and Rob Schneider and Lea Thompson spread their wings into comedic farce quite well. The scene with Thompson vamping Jed Clampett with her false French accent is hilarious for its ?shocking? unintended double-entendre, and is typical of how funny this movie is at times. As I said earlier, I save it for comic relief when I really yearn for mindless yucks, and it never fails me. Come on down and take a dip in the cement pond. I reckon you?ll find it powerful entertaining. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid this Movie if you liked the TV show!, March 2, 2011

By 

Steven R. Green "DVD Fan" (Huntsville, Al) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beverly Hillbillies (DVD)

I saw this movie when it came out and was absolutely dissapointed. Surprisingly Jim Varney did a pretty decent job playing Jed. There was no hint of "Ernest" in his character - not that I dislike Ernest but he's not Jed Clampett.

But that's the ONLY good comment I can make regarding this film. As others have stated, the people who made this movie had no real understanding of the original TV show. Jed was uneducated but wise and absolutely incorruptable. Jethro was a dumb but very likeable character who approached every new interest with wild enthusiasm. He was dumb but never silly. The Jethro in this movie was so silly as to be unwatchable. Ellie Mae was always pure and sweet. In this movie they have her chewing tobbaco and spitting on people. It was offensive to call this actress Ellie Mae. Grannie wasn't too bad but still not close to the original. I supsect this movie will only appeal to the casual fan of the TV show - the people who saw it every now and then in re-runs but don't really know the characters. I fail to see how anybody really familiar with the original could even sit through this. The pitiful Jethro was the complete deal breaker for me. Max Baer's Jethro was in my opinion equaled only by Don Knott's Barney Fife as one of the two greatest TV comedy characters. This movie's Jethro was as funny as watching paint dry in comparison.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, July 30, 2002

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beverly Hillbillies [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of the best movie remakes of a classic TV show that I have ever seen. In the movie, the salt-of-the-earth Clampetts discover oil, get fabulously rich, and move to Beverly Hills. Jed Clampett (played by Jim Varney) is in search of a wife to help raise Ellie Mae to be a real lady, but the family must beware of evil people who want to steal their wealth. Now, perhaps that sounds a little far fetched, but if you've ever met some simple folk who come into a lot of oil money, the whole story sounds very, very close to home.

The casting is superb -- there are cameo appearances by Dolly Parton, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Buddy Ebsen. Lily Tomlin is hilarious as the familys secretary, and Jim Varney actually plays a very believable straight guy. This movie has no sex, foul language, or violence, and will bring lots of laughs to the whole family.