BEETHOVEN

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: crude humor

Rated:

In every family, there is a dog person. In that same family, there will be an anti-dog person. In Beethoven, the unlucky dog-hater happens to be George Newton, father, commander, and chief. Or not. When a planned dog napping goes array, a Saint Bernard puppy is left to fend for itself. Managing to infiltrate the Newton household, it swiftly befriends the children Ryce, Ted, and Emily and becomes, to George's distress, part of the family. They name the dog Beethoven. George knows the cycle: the puppy is cute, but it tears up the house, destroys the yard, kills the lawn, chews on anything it can get within reach of, and "when it finally settles down, it'll die. And then we'll have to go through it all over again with ANOTHER puppy!" Just as he expects, he is the one left holding the leash when it rains... and scrubbing the carpet when it doesn't. Beethoven has become an invaluable member of the Newton family. 

He doesn't have the cares that his owners do. Ryce is bemoaning her lack of a boyfriend, and the fact that the cutest guy in school doesn't even know that she exists. Ted is busy dealing with local bullies who enjoy creaming him at lunch and dumping his backpack out on the school bus. For the most part, the parents and the dog are completely unaware of what goes on in the kids' social lives. But George is in the middle of closing the biggest deal of his life for his air-fresher company. Only what he doesn't know is that his business partners plan to take him for a ride. In the meantime, he encourages his wife to come back to work. And then there's the dog nappers, tied mysteriously and inexplicably to a sinister local vet who has his eye on Beethoven as a prospect for "testing ammo" on. Full of humorous capers, unwitting villains, and plenty of doggone fun, Beethoven was one of the first films my dad ever brought home. As such, it's become something of a family classic despite its clichés and minor flaws. 

George Newton is somewhat over the top, but there's a little bit of him in all of us and we can't help empathizing over some of his predicaments... the cute little fluffy puppy who pees in his briefcase, the larger canine who chews his shoes, and ultimately the 500-pound St. Bernard who likes to jump up on people. Fortunately mom and the kids are comparably normal... with flaws of their own. The villains are predictable, yes, but also suitably sinister. It's always fun to see Dean Jones, of the infamous "good guy" image projected by his many years with Disney, in a devious role, complete with thick eyeglasses and a gravelly accent. There are many thematic elements that will frighten smaller children... and even a few larger ones, such as tiny Emily falling into the pool, and implied animal abuse. There's only minor language (for the most part it's "Oh, my gosh!" instead of anything worse) and a funny scene in which George mistakes the dog under the covers for his wife. Violence is fairly low-key, but several times the villains are bit by the dogs... on sensitive parts of the anatomy. Part satire, part cornball, Beethoven is the fun first film that started the dog franchise. Dog biscuit, anyone?

© www.charitysplace.com - all rights reserved.