Last fall, Hollywood was shocked when a Disney movie about talking dogs reigned at the box office for two weeks, beating out big-budget, heavy-hitting films like Body of Lies. The little canines that could went on to earn nearly $138 million worldwide.
Therefore, despite the goofiness of this trailer, I was intrigued to check out Beverly Hills Chihuahua now that it's been released on DVD. What was the secret to its success? Why was everyone so crazy about these petite pooches?
I'm still not entirely certain that I understand what the fuss was all about, but the good news is that movie wasn't half as bad as I feared it might be. Perhaps its beautiful scenery or awesome soundtrack distracted me (seriously, every five minutes a new, high-energy song started up... and who doesn't love "Whoomp! (There It Is)"?) or my overall passion for animals won out, but I both laughed and sniffled during this movie, as ridiculous as that might seem.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua is the story of Chloe (Drew Barrymore), a chihuahua who has a higher standard of living than the vast majority of humans on this planet. That's because Chloe is owned by Vivian Ashe (Jamie Lee Curtis), the ultra-successful founder of Vivacity Cosmetics. Chloe wants for nothing; she enjoys mani-pedis, massages, a custom-fit wardrobe and drinking out of bottled water... and she has a dazzling diamond necklace for a collar.
Her extravagant lifestyle works against her, however, once she's taken to Mexico by Vivian's fun-loving niece, Rachel (Piper Perabo). Chloe wanders off alone, and once some evil dognappers get a look at her stunning collar, they're determined to hold the tiny pooch for ransom.
A kind but gruff German shepherd, Delgado (Andy Garcia) tries to help Chloe evade the bad guys, while an aptly named doberman pinscher, El Diablo (Edward James Olmos), is hot on their tails (pun intended).
Since this is a Disney film, you know there's going to be a happy ending, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some scenes that might be a little too intense for younger children. Heck, even I cowered in my seat a few times. All in all though, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a fast-paced story with more than one important "life lesson" for the kiddies. The DVD extras include deleted scenes, an animated feature about the history of the chihuahua breed, and the "Blooper Scooper" -- outtakes and footage of how the dogs were trained for the film. While there's a fair chance that some adults may cry "No más!" by the time the end credits roll, my bet is that most families will enjoy Chloe's fur-raising adventures.
this movie looks cool
Posted by: w. | March 09, 2009 at 05:08 PM
the movie was great! It taught me alot about the Mexican culture.
Posted by: djuana nwaokocha | March 09, 2009 at 08:13 PM
This movie was great. The kids and adults both liked this movie.
Posted by: thop | March 10, 2009 at 11:41 AM
I have my own chihuahua an she means the world to me & my wife this movie was cute we love all the chihuahua that save them from the lions it's a great movie for all cliff (redbox user)
Posted by: cliff | March 11, 2009 at 04:11 AM
I would highly recommend this movie for family fun.
Posted by: Kim | March 11, 2009 at 01:41 PM
As a family we own a chihuahua and my 6 year old son son thought it was so cool to see one talking. He's still waiting for our "Cooper" to start talking. ;0)
Posted by: Gina | March 11, 2009 at 05:57 PM
I watched the movie with my grandchildren ages 9,7,and 2. We all sat for the entire movie and watched it, we had lots of laughs with this one.
Posted by: Deborah LeJeune | March 11, 2009 at 06:27 PM
I love this film Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Cute movie. It was fun and inspiring. Rented this film at the Redbox when my family first started using Redbox, I think this was our first movie that we rented from the Redbox! Great and entertaing film and there was a happy ending.
Posted by: Livia | September 13, 2009 at 09:16 AM
Slept through it.
Posted by: Ray Watson | October 21, 2009 at 10:37 AM