"Troop Beverly Hills" is based on the real experiences of its producer Ava Fries, but it doesn't pay the kind of detailed attention to the Beverly Hills girls Fries must have known to make the movie work.

For about a half-hour, "Troop Beverly Hills" brings a lot of funny situations and funny lines. Then it's time to finish the popcorn and settle down for a nap.

Screenwriters Pamela Norris and Margaret Grieco Oberman hail from the mid-1980s period of Saturday Night Live, if that gives an idea of what to expect in the way of a script.

Long strives coyly and cutely to become a Lucille Ball of the opulent '80s. But despite her winsome presence, "Troop Beverly Hills" proves an uphill, downhill trek.