Beethoven's 4th

"Beethoven's 4th" is the kind of movie that makes one wonder what the point was of the film, other than cashing in one something that once was.

Judge Reinhold returns to the role of Richard Newton, seen in the 2000 straight-to-video (and rightly so!) "Beethoven's 3rd" flop. Julia Sweeney, once famous for her place on "Saturday Night Live," reprises the Beth Newton Persona, and there are two very bad-acting children in the film, also.

This awful sequel deals with Richard Newton watching Beethoven for his brother (once played by the much-better Charles Grodin) while they go on a family vacation. Unfortunately for both Richard and the audience, the millionth time Beethoven drinks out of the toilet bowl it makes everyone a bit mad, so they take him to training class, where he accidentally switches places with a rich man's (Matt McCoy) Saint Bernard without anyone noticing. When Rich Man's dog comes back to the Newton's, they are astonished at the fact that he is finally obeying his masters...the only problem is that now Beethoven is over at the Rich Man's House, caught with The Rich Man's Snooty Daughter and the Quiet Elderly Butler. How will Beethoven ever get back?

Quite honestly, I couldn't care less whether Beethoven makes it home or gets run over by a steam-roller. Let's put it this way: I really enjoyed the original "Beethoven" film written by the King of the Eighties, John Hughes. The second was a bit contrived, and was cashing in on the original a bit, but it still had its moments. This mind-numbingly bad sequel, however, is a follow-up to an already mind-numbingly bad third installment. By this time, I've seen so much Beethoven I don't really care what happens.

Perhaps if Charles Grodin was in it I'd still enjoy the series.

Perhaps if the script was intelligent and witty, and not the equivalent of EVERY family film that comes out nowadays, I'd like it.

Just perhaps.

But somewhere along the line in this world of cashing-in on superior originals, "Beethoven" lost the charm, wit and talent it once had and is now a snore-fest. Really, it went from a pleasant and enjoyable family comedy to a kids' movie with dumb dialogue, dumb situations, dumb characters, etc...the whole dumb works. It's almost like it's a whole other film series.

Or is it?

"Beethoven's 4th" gets 1/5 from me--it's weak, pathetic, has lost its charm (two sequels ago), and is filled with kiddie-film material and ultimately no intelligence whatsoever. The film execs who gave the go-ahead on this one were looking for one thing: Money.

Avoid this flop and see an intelligent family film, like 2001's "Monsters, Inc." That movie was good.

This one isn't.

1/5 stars -

John Ulmer

In this installment of the apparently endless "Beethoven"-series, Beethoven, the bad-behaving dog gets switched with another, well-behaving dog owned by some rich folks. Laughing already, kids? Now think, what hilarious consequences can this have?What's the first thing you thought about? Yep, it's in this movie. Now think of a second thing. Yep, totally in it. If you can think of a third thing, you're able to write a better screenplay, which means nothing. In the meantime, some bad guys try to do some thing of some sorts, probably get a job in a better movie, like "Home Alone 7" or "Kazaam", but the dog saves the day or whatever. Look at what Judge Reinhold is willing to do to pay his bills these days. Or better yet, don't. Lassie would turn around in his garden.

If Ludwig Van Beethoven had lived to see such artistic genius be created with a character with his name, he would have wept of joy. For this film is so sweet that i'm gonna crap myself. an incredible performance by digby the talking dog as beethoven is just one of the many highlights of this event. Beethoven seems to start acting strange, he's not up to his usual schemes, and judge reinhold (in an incredible performance as the father) wonders what is wrong. They soon find out that beethoven has been switched by a better fartknocking dog. The sorrow that the family goes through is shocking and unbelievably real. I also think Rob Shneider would be excellently cast as the father, or any role. Also the film did not have as many fart jokes as i would have hoped for. We all know that what holds together films is the fart jokes, and i believe that Rob Schneider could have provided enough fart jokes for our satisfaction. But despite the lack of Rob Schneider and fart jokes, this movie was a great ride with an ending so powerful that it changed me as a human being.

While it was nice to see the family unit from the 3rd film back again, the whole 'Prince and the Pauper' idea has been done to death in some many other films it was difficult for them to add anything remotely different to it.

Like I said before, my cousins and I had a Beethoven night, I was looking forward to the sequels, but after the sadness that was the third Beethoven, I had something even more to look forward too. Somehow, Beethoven is still with the brand new Newtons, I guess George, Alice, and their kids were looking for some kind of good excuse to get rid of Beethoven.

Basically, Beth and Richard want to get rid of Beethoven due to poor habits of drooling and destroying, but the kids want to keep him so they secretly take Beethoven to obedience classes. But Richard finds out that Beethoven inspires him to create his best art pieces ever. There is another family who is more wealthy and also have a St. Bernard, Michaelangelo, and kidnappers want him so they can get a ransom, not that much money if you ask me, but Beethoven and Michaelanglo get mixed up when they're both outside and end up with the wrong families.

Beethoven's 4th is a pretty sorry excuse for a film, but it was a little better than the third Beethoven movie. My cousins really enjoy these films, so like I said before, these films must be doing something right. For a family film, it wouldn't be too bad, but for me, this was a pretty silly movie.

3/10