It’s hugely silly, but peppy enough to be tolerable. What grates most are the patronising racial stereotypes: the dirty Mexican dogs are just waiting to be rescued by LA ladies and given a good bath.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:93
Fresh:38
Rotten:55
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Despite hitting some sweet notes, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is little more than disposable family entertainment.
Rated: U [See Full Rating] for some mild thematic elements.
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:16-01-2009
Synopsis: In Disney's unabashedly silly talking-dog movie BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), the ridiculously spoiled title pet, is swept away from her comfortable 90210 existence,... In Disney's unabashedly silly talking-dog movie BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), the ridiculously spoiled title pet, is swept away from her comfortable 90210 existence, when the impulsive niece (Piper Perabo) of her wealthy owner (Jamie Lee Curtis) combines dog-sitting with a vacation in Mexico. When Chloe gets lost south of the border, her scrappy Chihuahua admirer, Papi (voiced by George Lopez), embarks on a mission to bring her back home. While Chloe's pint-size dog in shining armor searches for his posh crush, she must contend with the rough-and-tumble side of life, learning a few important lessons along the way. Directed by Raja Gosnell, who is no stranger to dog-themed live-action/CGI flicks (see SCOOBY-DOO), CHIHUAHUA is an amusing diversion that is custom-made for canine lovers. Barrymore and Lopez are pitch-perfect in their vocal performances, and they are ably assisted by a bevy of Latino talent, including Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, and Cheech Marin. Although the film doesn't give its human actors a lot to do, it doesn't matter much, since the dogs are the reason for the entire show. In fact, the more the movie concentrates on its furry protagonists the more giddily entertaining it gets, as exemplified by a fun, fantastical doggie musical sequence that serves as CHIHUAHUA's undeniable highlight. [More]
Starring: Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eugenio Derbez
Starring: Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eugenio Derbez, Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, Plácido Domingo, George Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Piolin, Luis Guzman
Director: Raja Gosnell
Director: Raja Gosnell
Screenwriter: Jeff Bushell, Analisa LaBianco
Story: Jeff Bushell
Producer: David Hoberman, John Jacobs, Todd Lieberman
Composer: Heitor Pereira
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Reviews for Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Younger audiences will adore this canine caper, though grown-ups might feel its one joke is stretched too far.
In a triumph of animal wrangling and CGI tinkering, the canine cast turn in better performances than some of the humans.
This piece of egregious silliness from Disney - featuring live-action canines with CGI moving mouths - isn't quite as awful as it sounds.
Not that anybody would expect perfection from a film called Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but the chewed bone of a story makes it all mutts ado about nothing.
A state-of-the-art kid-pleaser for sure, but recession-weary parents will probably find it a mite obnoxious.
This live-action Disney comedy is the kind of family film which is aimed not so much at parents, as small children and their goldfish, as long as the goldfish do not have too long an attention span.
It’s put across with enough brio to excuse the inherent stupidity of the premise.
You want to cringe as the picture begins, but you end up quite enjoying it.
Watchable, largely average family movie, enlivened by decent performances and the occasionally surreal, off-the-wall moment.
Silly beyond reason, it somehow manages to win us over despite our doubts, and by the end we're ashamed that we can't stop giggling.
What doesn't make sense is that while the doggies can follow human speech, the humans don't get pooch talk, it's all Yap-Yapanese.
While it doesn't work particularly well on any of those levels, it is a colourful addition to the always popular talking dog genre.
...ultimately about as enthralling as a low-rent Saturday morning cartoon.
Gosnell gracelessly walks us through cheap, generic talking dog material, while parents everywhere groan silently to themselves.
An appealing film for dog lovers and those seeking escapist entertainment.
Latest News for Beverly Hills Chihuahua
July 09, 2009:
Raja Gosnell Lands a Smurfy New Gig ![]()
"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" director Raja Gosnell has signed on to direct Columbia Pictures and Sony Animation's upcoming CG/live-action "Smurfs" film. More...
March 02, 2009:
RT on DVD: Exclusive Australia Scene, Beverly Hills Chihuahua and More!
This week on DVD we've got a sweeping historical epic from Down Under (Baz Luhrmann's Australia, plus an exclusive deleted scene), a tale of talking pooches (Beverly Hills... More...
January 16, 2009:
UK Critics Consensus: The Wrestler Pile-drives The Critics, But Don’t Waste any £s on Seven Pounds
With critical success for Slumdog Millionaire last week (94%), we have more award-friendly fare in the UK cinemas this Friday in Darren Aronofsky's spandex-tastic The Wrestler.... More...
October 17, 2008:
Exclusive photos from composer Heitor Pereira's scoring session to Beverly Hills Chihuahua ![]()
More...
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