Rating: PG
Starring:
Drew Barrymore as the voice of Chloe
Andy Garcia as the voice of Delgado
George Lopez as the voice of Papi
Piper Perabo as Rachel
Manolo Cardona as Sam Cortez
Jamie Lee Curtis as Aunt Viv
Cheech Marin as the voice of Manuel
Paul Rodriguez as the voice of Chico
Edward James Olmos as the voice of Diablo
Placido Domingo as the voice of Monte
Luis Guzman as the voice of Chucho
Eddie ‘Piolin’ Sotelo as the voice of Rafa
José María Yazpik as Vasquez
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes With Introductions By Director Raja Gosnell
Blooper Scooper
Legend Of The Chihuahua: Animated Short
Feature Commentary With Director Raja Gosnell
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.40:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish and French Language Tracks
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 91 Minutes
The Movie:
The following is the official description of the film:
“Get ready for a hilarious fun-filled adventure starring Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), a diamond-clad ultra-pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua who gets lost while on vacation in Mexico. Papi (voiced by George Lopez), an amusing Chihuahua who’s crazy about Chloe, springs into action and heads south of the border to rescue her, while Chloe gets help from Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia), her newfound friend and self-appointed protector. Beverly Hills Chihuahua from Walt Disney Pictures is a heartwarming and outrageously funny tale proving once again that good things do come in small packages. It’s a real treat for the whole family.”
“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is rated PG for some mild thematic elements.
Mini-Review:
Let’s face it, this movie was made for kids, not adults. And of course my kids loved it. Talking dogs = comedy gold with children. The real test is whether it entertains both them and me. Unfortunately, it didn’t. I really didn’t laugh all that much, the plot was pretty predictable, and I was counting the minutes until it was over. That being said, the movie did have some positive points and they were enough to make me bump it up to a generous 5.5 out of 10. There are a lot worse ‘family films’ out there.
The film has pretty impressive production values. Director Raja Gosnell manages to throw in a couple of cool shots that don’t look like they belong in a talking dog movie. And the settings are also absolutely beautiful. They manage to shoot in all the locations in Mexico without any poverty and mostly white background extras. It makes you wonder why anyone would hop the border. And I will say there were a couple of scenes that were funny enough to make me laugh. A scene with a dog praying before a fight was amusing as well as a scene where the rat and iguana run through a store under a piñata. The cast is also pretty good. Jamie Lee Curtis and Piper Perabo manage to escape with their dignity intact and even manage to generate a few laughs along the way. They also manage to hire every Hispanic actor in Hollywood for voices (except for Eric Estrada). They manage to inject the little bit of true Hispanic culture in this movie.
One thing that is a little disturbing is how they sugar coat some controversial topics. They make light of dog fighting and give children an unrealistic view of what really happens there. I think if Chloe had her head bit off by the Doberman this would have been a more realistic movie. They also treat illegal border crossing as something as normal as catching the bus. Considering the number of people that die every year attempting this, it doesn’t seem like Disney material.
Just as a side note, the DVD cover shows Papi front and center, yet he’s a minor character in the story. Chloe is the real star. I guess they thought Papi was better for marketing since he looks less like Paris Hilton’s dog and more like the Taco Bell Chihuahua. Better marketing for boys.
“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is for kids and serious dog lovers. I’m talking about people that carry dogs around in purses, call them their ‘children,’ and other crazy stuff like that. Everyone else should find another talking dog movie to watch.
In the bonus features, you’ll find some Deleted Scenes. A few of them take place in the Aztec Chihuahua city. There’s also the “Legend Of The Chihuahua: Animated Short”. It talks about the history of the tiny dog.
