“There’s no place like home.” – Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

The idea of what makes a house a home, and explorations of how and where Americans live, have powerfully informed many significant films over the years, in ways both subtly thought-provoking and farcically over-the-top. The National Building Museum is proud to partner with the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center to present a film series associated with the Museum’s exhibition House & Home. "Reel Estate: The American Home on Film" presents a wide-ranging series of films focusing on the American home, from nostalgic classics like Gone With the Wind, to post-WWII suburban melodramas like No Down Payment, and to subversive comedies like Hal Ashby’s The Landlord.

15^th Anniversary!
Slums of Beverly Hills*

Director Tamara Jenkins semi-autobiographical film SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS follows the Abromovitz clan in 1976, as father Murray (Alan Arkin) hustles his kids from one low-rent apartment to another so that they can attend Beverly Hills schools. A sharply observed coming-of-age comedy that examines the awkwardness of being financially out of place, and the strength of embracing your own identity. The film also abounds with excellent period detail—late 1970s-era funky threads, gas guzzlers, shag carpet and some delightfully oddball southern California architecture—think downmarket garden apartments and garage-centric houses. With Natasha Lyonne, Marisa Tomei, Jessica Walter, Carl Reiner and Rita Moreno. DIR/SCR Tamara Jenkins; PROD Michael Nozik, Stan Wlodkowski. US, 1998, color, 91 min. RATED R

*Additional screening times available at AFI.com/Silver.

Ticket Information:
BUY TICKETS THROUGH AFI.com/Silver. $8.50 AFI and NBM members | $11.50 General Admission | $9 Seniors (65+), Students (with valid ID), and Military | $7 Children (12 and under).  Tickets may also be purchased at the box office (opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day).  Please note that tickets are not available for purchase through the National Building Museum.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland, Silver Spring Metro, Red Line.