Beethoven

We are dog lovers and had been meaning to watch some of the Beethoven series for quite a while. We found a DVD collection of all five at a good price so we snapped it up and sat down for the first installment.

We honestly didn't know what to expect so, to minimize our risk of disappointment, decided that we were only watching to enjoy the St. Bernard. The movie turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, easily exceeding those expectations.

Beethoven is the star, as he should be. The human cast, however, perform wonderfully in providing the light framework required to string Beethoven's scenes together. Charles Grodin especially shines as the dad who is, at first, not exactly enthused about getting a dog. Much less a monster dog who only drools and sheds and eats.

So, if you enjoy dogs and light-hearted fun, Beethoven won't disappoint. There are no Machiavellian plots or cruel content. The family is wonderfully good, the villains are comically bad and the suspense of their threat is enjoyable because you know, Beethoven's gonna win in the end.

Overall, very charming with a good, wholesome sense of humor. 6.5 out of 10.

This was almost like an old-fashioned type of nice movie "the whole family will enjoy," as the stupid trailers used to always say. They aren't always right about that, but they are with this one.

BAD NEWS - The "bad news" was (a) the silly ending, (b) some silly-stupid scenes earlier in which what you saw could never really happen, and (c) the three kids were annoying and bossy at times.

GOOD NEWS - The "good news" is, of course, "Beethoven," the lovable Saint Bernard who is a lot of fun to watch, especially with all his facial expressions. Also, it's a very entertaining story and there is absolutely nothing offensive, language-wise, in here.

OVERALL - This was popular enough to spawn some sequels, none of which were close in caliber to this one. A good family film worth viewing, but mainly if you like big, lovable dogs.

I really liked Beethoven. Of course it isn't perfect, it does have a silly ending, the plot does have its low points and the script was a tad weak in places. However, it is a charming, fun and entertaining family movie. I myself am mortified at the 5.1 IMDb rating. I seriously don't think it is as bad as all that. It isn't perfect, but it has a sense of fun. The cinematography is lush and very beautifully handled, and the direction was secure. Charles Grodin is an enormously talented actor, and I enjoyed his performance here, and Dean Jones seems to be having fun too. The child actors are appealing, and the music is lovely. I think the real star is Beethoven himself, whoever trained that dog should be told he/she did a wonderful job. With Beethoven, the film is fun, charming and very entertaining. And there are many memorable moments here. All in all, a very pleasant family film, I recommend it. It is not perfect, but it is one of the better family films out there. 7/10 Bethany Cox

After a St. Bernard puppy is abducted from a pet shop by animal abductors, the puppy escapes and finds its way to the home of the Newton family. Mother Alice (Bonnie Hunt) and children Emily(Sarah Rose Karr), Ted (Christopher Castile), and Ryce (Nicholle Tom) all immediately take to the puppy whom they name Beethoven, however father George Newton (Charles Grodin) is less enthused by the idea. While Beethoven enjoys the comforts of living with the Newtons, the animal abduction ring, run by sinister vet/black market animal tester Dr. Herman Varnick (Dean Jones) sets his sights on Beethoven as a test candidate for testing a new type of ammunition.

Released in 1992 to rather mediocre reviews but very healthy box office, Beethoven certainly fits well within the oeuvre of 1990s post Home Alone/Uncle Buck family comedies that ended up defining John Hughes career in the decade. While Beethoven is still a very early revisit of Hughes to the successful formula, it is quite noticeable that Hughes is setting the foundation for common place tropes that would reappear in further films. With that said, the movie is actually quite charming thanks to a well trained dog serving as the titular character, and Amy Holden Jones balances out the Hughes' tropes with some charm and edge that help the film to keep from going overboard with formula.

The best scenes in Beethoven are just watching the dog interact with people. The filmmakers do a pretty decent job of given Beethoven a personality as the gentle giant who's full of energy and intelligence but lacking in self awareness or grace in his movements. The scenes where Beethoven casually escapes his backyard enclosure are quite fun and there's a nice small town/Disney type vibe as he meets the Newton children around town and helps them deal with bullies, getting the attention of crushes, or in one instance engaging in a Lassie type rescue during a close call. The scenes with Beethoven frolicking around with the family or various people in town (firefighters, small business owners, etc.) are charming and make the film a pleasant enough sit.

The actors are perfectly servicable. Charles Grodin is perfectly fine playing an overworked, overstressed, father (even if at points it feels like he's doing a Steve Martin impression), and the rest of the family is perfectly fine as well. Some performances unfortunately go a bit too broad for my taste, such as Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt playing a rehash of the comedic crook duo a la Horace and Jasper or Harry and Marv, or David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton playing a pair of snobbish DINK(Dual Income No Kids) who are basically insidious versions of Todd and Margo from Christmas Vacation. The real standout in the human performances is Dean Jones who washes away any history of light hearted Disney comedies and away and gives a fittingly sinister and slimey performance that honestly wouldn't be out of place in a straight thriller. It's a terrific villain performance and allows Jones to lift a bit more weight than he usually is allowed and he does so quite well.

The movie in terms of the movie itself it's perfectly fine. It doesn't reach the gold standards of Disney animal movies like '67's That Darn Cat or either of The Incredible Journey movies, but it also doesn't embarrass itself as seen in cases like C. H. O. M. P. S. or Bingo. Beethoven rests comfortably around the level of a Benji movie but with a bigger budget and more polish. The direction by Brian Levant is very exaggerated and lacking in subtlety or restraint, but unlike his other movies he tries to resist the temptation to go full cartoon logic (save for one scene with Duchonvy and Heaton). The movie is very much a collection of character based plots in the first half loosely connected with the second half being more based around the animal abduction ring. There's not much in the way of surprises, but it's all done well enough.

Beethoven is an above average family film anchored by a good performance from its central dog. The movie does a good job of making Beethoven feel like a character, and while the script is certainly formula its at least well done formula that moves at a good pace and doesn't linger on any point long enough to drag. Beethoven is the kind of movie you can watch with your kids and they'll enjoy it while you'll smile once every so often. It won't stick with you, but as family films of this type go it's one of the better ones.

"Beethoven" isn't a great family film, but it is surprisingly sweet and amusing. It's one of those films that is strangely attracting, though you can't really understand why.

I think a lot has been built up on this film just because there were some sequel spin-offs that were more than horrible. (The 3rd and 4th sequels with Judge Reinhold were some of the worst attempts at comedy. Ever.) But the original was a nice, family-friendly film that accomplishes what it promised.

Charles Grodin plays George Newton: Family man, businessman, NOT a doggy-man. But things change rapidly when a runaway Saint Bernard named Beethoven comes to the Newton residence. Newton's children immediately get attached to the animal, but Grodin's character doesn't exactly like the fact of a big ol' slobbering dog being around his house. So there are some gags as Grodin gets mad at Beethoven for certain things he does throughout the film.

But then, evil animal vet Dean Jones tries to take Beethoven, and Newton decides to fight back for his family and bring the doggy back home.

"Beethoven" isn't anything very original, and it isn't anything very memorable, nor is it excellent quality gags. But it's a surprisingly pleasant and good-natured family film that doesn't resort to crude humor or language like other so-called "family films" out there.

Ivan Reitman, who has brought us "Ghostbusters," "Kindergarten Cop," and "Stripes" co-produced this film. He's a talented director, even if he sometimes makes average films. The thing about his films are, that even when they're average they are still pretty funny and strangely watchable. And though I'm not sure what all a producer does on a film, I think he probably did a good job with something on this film. :)

Charles Grodin is one of those actors that I've always liked because he seems very down-to-earth and regular. He is a subtle comedian that never goes OTT and doesn't come off like ANOTHER Jerry Lewis-Jim Carrey hybrid.

"Beethoven" isn't anything great, but it's strangely likable and enjoyable. When compared to other so-called family films, it's pretty nice. It doesn't skimp on the gags (even if they're not very great) and it never turns stupid (like the 3rd and 4th film).

All in all, "Beethoven" delivers what it promises, and it does it pretty nicely.

3.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer