Fresh and Exciting

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Great film for kids and dog lovers don't listen to all the negative reviews,watch it now!

A lot of critics didn't like Beethoven, but they must be Scrooges. How can you not love this big, ungainly, lovable beast? At least the movie going public certainly liked him.This St.Bernard puppy escapes from dognappers who take him and others from a pet shop. But even as a puppy he's resourceful and he wonders into a typical suburban home and is made welcome by the family and I mean the kids Christopher Castile, Nicholle Tom, and Sarah Rose Karr. Even their mom Bonnie Hunt kind of takes to him. What's a dad like Charles Grodin to do.But as Beethoven grows older his clumsiness causes a lot trouble. He does have an instinct for sorting out some bad people and dealing with them. The kids get it, the parents don't.Dean Jones is the villain here, a veterinarian who 'kills' his charges but secretly uses them for mad scientist like experimentation. Jones who was the all American hero in so many Disney films in the 60s and 70s looks like he's having a great old time as the Snidely Whiplash of scientists. He's got a pair of mooks for henchmen in Michael Tucci and Oliver Platt. In the old days they'd be played by Allen Jenkins and Edward Brophy.This movie has little kids and a big dog in it. Now only the most hard hearted could resist that.

The title canine is an adorable Saint Bernard puppy who escapes when bumbling, idiotic criminals Harvey and Vernon (Oliver Platt and Stanley Tucci) rob a pet store of their inventory. Beethoven makes his way into the house of the Newton family, immediately endearing himself to the children (Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile, Sarah Rose Karr) and wife / mother (Bonnie Hunt). The dad (Charles Grodin) is another story. He's not a real dog person, but reluctantly agrees to take on the pup as a pet. In your typical Hollywood fashion, havoc ensues, as the puppy grows into the destructive, messy (but also very loving) big brute that Grodin knew would result. The main plot concerns a thoroughly evil veterinarian (Dean Jones, in a hilarious performance) who collects dogs for test purposes.Watching this as an adult, you can see the flaws more clearly. Sometimes this is genuinely groan inducing, sometimes predictably silly. (You can tell that co-writer John Hughes, who uses his pseudonym of Edmond Dantes, was still getting Home Alone out of his system.) It's also easier to sympathize with George, even though Grodin brilliantly portrays him as a fastidious grump who craves order in his life. He actually makes his family get up at seven in the morning on Saturdays. Another word of advice is that this isn't totally harmless; some people, not just the younger children, might find certain scenes objectionable.Overall, though, "Beethoven" is passable family entertainment without being exceptional in any way. It may hit you where you live, however, if you're a dog person like this viewer. The perfectly cast Grodin is well supported by a cast that also includes TV stars David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton as a snotty yuppie couple, and familiar character players like O-Lan Jones, Nancy Fish, and Richard Portnow. A 10 year old Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes his film debut as a schoolchild. It's particularly fun to see Jones playing the raspy voiced bad guy. Beethoven himself is quite engaging and sweet; some of the best scenes here have him making little journeys around town.Followed by a mind boggling SIX sequels.Seven out of 10.

The movie overall is an enjoyable one with a good family message. However for some reason the filmmakers decided to throw in sex for some reason. I caught this in the theater and thought that perhaps it would be pulled out when it went to video. It wasn't however. When the father is going to get rid of the dog and so the kids get up very early - at 6:00 AM according to the bedside alarm clock - to give him a bath. Pause when it shows his alarm clock. This clock is featured center in the shot as focus. On one side however is a money clip with a wad of cash and on the other side is a peeled roll candy package. The name is not one we recognize as candy, but rather it is sitting with the letters upside down and spell SEX.