Movie Info:
Writer: Analisa LaBianco, Jeffrey Bushell
Director: Raja Gosnell
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Piper Perabo, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Plácido Domingo, Edward James Olmos, Loretta Devine, Jamie Lee Curtis, Luis Guzmán
Rating: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: October 3, 2008
DVD Release Date: March 3, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99
I heard Beverly Hills Chihuahua was junk. I heard that it was the worst movie on the planet. I was told this movie wasn’t worth the dirty gum under my shoe. That’s how terrible this movie was portrayed. With a tagline like, “The best chihuahua movie of all time,” I knew that I was in for a big treat! So, I wasn’t exactly anticipating this movie, but I had to watch it anyway.
Come to find out, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is not that bad. Well from the standpoint this is utter junk, I would say that most reviewers are wrong. Still, this movie isn’t great. While it is indeed the best chihuahua movie ever made, I think it’s the only chihuahua movie ever made. The worst part of this movie is the human actors. I’d have much preferred if there were no humans in this. The chihuahuas are pretty cool. My favorite performance was by George Lopez who plays Papi.
The plot for Beverly Hills Chihuahua could have been better. I think there is too much to the plot. The part about Chloe the chihuahua getting lost in Mexico was enough of a story, in my opinion. The creators had to add in a bad guy and the classic good versus evil storyline, which always has good trumping evil in a Disney movie. This movie is definitely going to appeal to both dog lovers and kids. Still, while isn’t very deep and there isn’t much to it, it is all about the entertainment and cute factor.
Going into watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I was sure this film probably sucked. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this movie is just another mediocre family movie. It isn’t so bad. Kids will love it. They will want to watch it again and again, but adults will only be able to stomach it multiple times for the kids and for Papi. I have to wonder what happened to Jamie Lee Curtis and Piper Perabo’s careers to make them make this movie. Even Marguerite Moreau is in this, but you wouldn’t know it since she gets billing after all the dogs’ voice actors.
The dogs really make this film. The voice acting in Beverly Hills Chihuahua is pretty good. Drew Barrymore sounded just like a little prima donna dog would sound like, if one indeed did talk. George Lopez steals every scene he’s in as the dog of the gardener for Chloe’s owner/aka the Gardener dog, Papi. He’s in love with Chloe who is too snobby to realize it. Other actors who lend their voices (in an awesome way) to this movie include Andy Garcia, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Plácido Domingo, Edward James Olmos and Loretta Devine. With such a great cast, the dogs didn’t disappoint. The chihuahuas rule in this movie and with good reason. I should add that kudos go to Michael Urie for voicing Sebastian the pug. I recognized Mark from Ugly Betty right away and he was rockin!
The Beverly Hills Chihuahua Plot
Chloe (Drew Barrymore) is a spoiled, pampered, bratty little chihuahua. She has play dates with other rich dogs, like her friend Sebastian the pug (Michael Urie), gets her hair done, manicures, massages, and has a strenuous schedule that her owner, Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis) follows religiously. Viv is the founder of a cosmetics company. She’s insanely rich and has no family other than her beloved pooch, Chloe.
When Viv goes on a trip to Italy, she leaves Chloe with her niece, Rachel (Piper Perabo). Rachel isn’t very responsible. She can’t keep a job and she doesn’t know how to follow Chloe’s schedule. She dismisses the dog to have fun with her friends. Chloe is pursued by the gardener/Viv’s gardener’s dog, Papi (George Lopez). Chloe’s dog friends think he’s hot, but Chloe thinks he’s a commoner. Rachel decides to go on a trip to Mexico with her friends. She takes Chloe, but leaves her in a slummy hotel room to go out dancing. Mad and hungry, Chloe heads out to find Rachel, but she is dognapped before she can get to her.
Rachel finds out that Chloe has been taken to Mexico City, where she is to fight in dog fights. Not realizing her worth, she’s put into the ring with Diablo (Edward James Olmos), a mean Doberman that could eat her for breakfast. Luckily, she’s saved by a German Shepherd who breaks from his cage, named Delgado (Andy Garcia). He helps her escape, but the bad guy, Vasquez (José María Yazpik), who runs the dog fights, has spotted the diamond collar on Chloe’s neck. Realizing she is worth something, he sets Diablo out after her and puts a tracking device on the dog.
Delgado must care for Chloe and get her back to the safety of Beverly Hills before he has to settle an old score with Diablo. While they’re gone, the gardener, Sam (Manolo Cardona), discovers from Rachel’s friend that Chloe is missing in Mexico and Rachel won’t leave until she finds her. Sam and Papi head to Mexico so Papi can find his true love and Sam can help out Viv, who has been very kind to him.
This somewhat cliche, totally predictable movie has Chloe learning important lessons. Along the way, she learns more than just how to find her bark. She finds out about her very heritage not only as a chihuahua, but as a dog.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting: 
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
With a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4, 2.40:1 transfer Beverly Hills Chihuahua looks as good as you expect it too, and maybe even better than that. Considering the theme of the movie, I was not expecting a true masterpiece, visual or otherwise. It’s a new movie and it looks the part.
The color palette is certainly diverse, though at times over-saturation felt like a problem. The level of detail here is excellent. I can’t really think of anything negative to recount here when thinking of the video. It’s not perfect, but by Blu-ray standards this does not disappoint.
The audio for Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a DTS-HD lossless Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. This is not the type of movie that is going to be taxing on any audio, much less a lossless track. With that in mind, the dialogue, in all it’s various forms, is handled well, the music sounds good (despite being cheesy at times), and the one or two sound effects are handled well.
Surround sound isn’t anything that needs to be considered here, but a bark or two comes through quite nicely with the surround sound. In addition to this lossless track, there are Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, Spanish, and French. Subtitles are also included in English and Spanish.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There are a number of special features here, but one stands out as being the funniest of them all. I cannot get over the fact that Beverly Hills Chihuahua, of all movies, has a commentary.
This just cracks me up.
It’s hardly The Godfather. Still, the director makes it seem like this movie is in a completely different league. He talks about the experience of making a film with hundreds of dogs, story aspects, and plenty more. Still, as you listen, you wonder why a commentary was made for this movie. Gosnell tried to make it work, but the premise is just ridiculous and no commentary can make it seem more legitimate.
The commentary is followed up by “History of the Chihuahua” a three minute, short film that discusses the history of the chihuahua. It’s pretty cute. You get to see a family tree in action, but it’s only three minutes, so expect it to be quick and to the point. Next up is three minutes worth of bloopers. This works awesome, because the bloopers are mainly of misbehaving dogs. It ends up being pretty funny!
Two featurettes that are available on the Blu-ray include “Pet Pals: The Voices Behind the Dogs” and “Hitting Their Bark: On Set with the Dogs of Beverly Hills Chihuahua”.
The first featurette is about seven minutes long and includes the main cast. It’s a fluffed up featurette that is filled with questions you would never think to ask anyone. Of course, if you want to know what kind of dog an actor would be if they could be a dog, this might be for you. The second featurette is a making of that gives you a chance to see the cast and crew working with all those dogs. It’s quite interesting to say the least.
Ten deleted scenes are up next and they last for nearly 30 minutes. These are pretty basic and you won’t miss much by skipping them entirely. Still, they are here if you want to watch them. BD Live is also available with an option or two, should you wish to check them out.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Beverly Hills Chihuahua hits the mark with the kids. They are going to love this movie, so it’s worth sitting through it, for them. If you are a parent, don’t hesitate to pick this up for your kids. It’s well worth the purchase. If you are an adult, you may want to rent this first. Unless you like cute, family friendly, predictable yet cliche movies this might not be something you’ll want to add to your collection permanently. Since the Blu Ray quality is fairly decent getting this in either standard or Blu Ray is your choice. Both are sufficient, but Blu Ray’s somewhat better, just because the quality is going to be higher, even if its not the best.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Blu-ray Review, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Family, Kids, Disney, Dogs, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Lee Curtis
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
