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‘Chihuahua' movie fun for a night out with kids

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My grandson said that “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” was “super fun!” On the night of the screening, my little man and I had a date. We went for pizza, drove to the theater, got a kid's popcorn meal and settled in for the film. Case laughed, pointed at the screen and seemed to have a great time, and perhaps partly because of his zeal I too enjoyed the film for the most part. Both of us were disappointed, however, when we never got to see the big Vegas-like musical number with hundreds of dancing and singing Chihuahuas on Aztec ruins, clad in feathered costumes. We saw it in an early trailer for the film sparking Case's interest and it is missing from this final cut.

The story tracks Chihuahua Chloe (voice by Drew Barrymore), an overly-pampered pet of a high-powered businesswoman Vivian (Jamie Lee Curtis), or Aunt Viv to her obviously irresponsible niece Rachel (Piper Perabo). Chloe and her taste for Harry Winston jewels and designer doggy apparel is revealed in an unnecessarily long opening montage featuring a clichéd version of Beverly Hills that shows superciliousness and snobbery at its doggone finest. We further see Chloe's shallowness, when she snubs the (of course very hunky) Mexican gardener's pound puppy Chihuahua, Papi (a very funny George Lopez).

As the story goes, Aunt Viv leaves on a business trip to Italy, entrusting her precious pup to her niece. Rachel decides it is a good idea to take Chloe on a road trip to Mexico with her pals for a party weekend, where Chloe is dognapped by the tamest dog fighting circle in all of Tijuana. Things finally get moving when Chloe meets Delgado (Andy Garcia) a rough-edged, but caring German Shepherd who helps the defenseless Chihuahua escape the jaws of a killer Doberman named Diablo (Edward James Olmos). The two big dogs - one a former K-9 police dog, the other a known criminal type - have history.

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” appears to be a buddy film (Chloe and Delgado) on one hand, a love story (Papi and Chloe, Sam and Rachel) on another. Still, it appears to want to say something about border situations (complete with an actual coyote helping the dogs cross the border), race pride (”I am Mexican, not Mexican't” Lopez spouts) and race relations (Rachel's misunderstanding Sam the sexy gardener). It can't seem to decide, and yet, somehow it manages to be all. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but like the trip back to the states for Delgado and Chloe, it stumbles over itself several times.

The cast of voices and living characters is excellent to be sure, but the film's main draw is that it features talking dogs - adorable dogs of varying sizes and breeds with CGI (computer-generated imagery) lips that move seamlessly and convincingly. Not any of that Mr. Ed peanut butter-in-the-mouth stuff here. No, these doggies talk - at least as well if not better than the TV ad baby who buys stock. And it is actually pretty interesting and impressive to watch.

Overall the story is just silly, but then so are so many romantic/buddy films these days. I am assuming the target audience falls somewhere between 4 and 8 years old, and for that group, it works. As an adult who does love a good family film, there are better ones out there, but “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” certainly entertained my little guy and I found pleasure in that.

I thought the actors and animals they voiced were in sync, even if the story is limited and highly predictable. I appreciated the quality of the cast even if the script is full of bad one-liners and clichés like the “Mexican't” one mentioned.

Originally, the film was slated for a Sept. 25 opening, but that was pushed back, I am assuming for re-editing after a dismal reception, but I am not sure. For whatever reason, Disney thought it best to cut the big musical number, opting instead for a long “we are proud Chihuahuas” speech, and I think that was a mistake.

If ever there was a film that could be called cute, it is the PG-rated “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” I can see where many an adult will be put off by the inanity of the overall adventure, but that can be said of many films geared toward children. I enjoyed many aspects of the movie and actually only found a few things I could have done without. So in my book, I am placing a C+. For Case it was “super fun” and for me it offered a pleasing enough diversion, especially since it was “date night” with a 4-year-old. Had he not liked the film, I would have had a rough time on my hands.

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