Blu-Ray Review: Disposable ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ Given Royal Disney Treatment

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
No votes yet
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Disney’s “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”, now on Blu-Ray and DVD, is so generic and disposable that it’s easy for an adult to forget they’re watching it while it’s playing. It’s one of those movies that appeals to the little ones because talking animals naturally do so, but so little was done beyond the casting and the concept that adults are going to get bored quickly. As for the Blu-Ray, Disney rarely produces anything less-than-stellar for their family films and “BHC” doesn’t break the pattern.

Walt Disney family movies are licenses to print money. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” cost barely a thing to make and has grossed over $135 million worldwide and that’s without the mint it’s likely to make on the home market. Disney has developed a pattern of releasing only a few movies a year and they’re almost all guaranteed hits.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

Does that mean they’re any good? Of course not. Success is more about marketing than quality in today’s film world and “Chihuahua,” like most Disney movies, was drilled into our brains like an overplayed song. It was a guaranteed hit.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

But some guaranteed hits are better than others. I was surprised at how effectively “High School Musical 3” delivered for its audience and was even moderately entertaining in an old-fashioned way for the older members in the audience. I can’t say the same for “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”. This is a movie for kids only and it’s not even that inspired when judged as only one of those.

BHC” is a classic fish-out-of-water tale. Instead of “city mouse” and “country mouse,” this time it’s a “pampered pooch” and “street dog”. The former is Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), a Chihuahua who not only drinks bottled water but wears booties and outfits that reflect the latest doggie fashions. After a bungling by her spoiled niece Rachel (Piper Perabo), Chloe ends up lost in Mexico.

South of the border, Chloe crosses paths with the street-wise Delgado (Andy Garcia) when she’s thrown into a dog fighting ring. A family movie with dog fighting! You don’t see that every day. Delgado agrees to help guide Chloe with the nefarious El Diablo (Edward James Olmos) hot on their doggy heels.

Meanwhile, the landscaper (Manolo Cardona) of Chloe’s loving mother Vivian (Jamie Lee Curtis) heads the other way - from Beverly Hills to Mexico - to find Chloe himself with his dog Papi (George Lopez) and Rachel trailing behind.

There is something a little disconcerting about portraying Mexico as dirty and tough while the spoiled life of Beverly Hills opulence is seen as something to admire. Now, of course, Chloe learns a lesson about the real world, but the stereotypes in “BHC” still seem a little too broad and possibly damaging to a child’s impression of other cultures. It’s Paris Hilton as a little dog on a Mexican adventure. Should that be what our kids are watching?

Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua was released on Blu-Ray on March 3rd, 2009.
Photo credit: Walt Disney Home Video

Maybe the cultural insensitivity of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” wouldn’t bug me if the film had more energy and creativity to it. Director Raja Gosnell has become an expert at pushing along generic, disposable entertainment for the masses like “Home Alone 3,” “Big Momma’s House,” two “Scooby-Doo” movies, and “Yours, Mine and Ours”. This is just another forgettable entry in a forgettable resume.

What’s not as forgettable is the treatment by Disney. This is no “Pinocchio” or even a “National Treasure” release, but “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” does feature a typically strong video and audio transfer and a well-designed series of special features. Disney is excellent at providing a balance of features for adults and kids and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” doesn’t break that mold.

Kids will be drawn to a three-minute animated short called “Legend of the Chihuahua,” 25 minutes of deleted scenes, and 3 minutes of bloopers. BD-Live also seems to be aimed at the little ones who want to chat with their friends while they watch the pretty puppies.

The older children will be interested in how “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” got made and find that information in the almost-ten-minute “Pet Pals: The Voices Behind the Dogs,” a standard talking head piece with the voice talent, and the twelve-minute “Hitting Their Bark: On Set with the Dogs of BHC,” a standard talking head piece with producers, non-voice actors, and dog trainers. Finally, “BHC” on Blu-Ray includes an audio commentary by director Raja Gosnell. No explanation for the existence of “Home Alone 3” or “Scooby-Doo 2” on his resume is provided.

‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ is released by Walt Disney Home Video and stars Drew Barrymore, Piper Perabo, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Manolo Cardona, and Edward James Olmos. It was written by Analisa LaBianco & Jeffrey Bushell and directed by Raja Gosnell. It was released on March 3rd, 2009. It is rated PG.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
referendum
tracker