movie review
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2
Adorable pooches save the day
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I’ll confess right here and now that I’m a sucker for movies with talking animals. I love the ‘Air Bud’ and ‘Buddy’ movies, and think it’s so cute and funny when real animals’ mouths move and words come out—especially when they’re such earnest messages, like the ones in ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2.’
The story brings back Papi (voiced by George Lopez) and Chloe (Odette Yustman, replacing Drew Barrymore from the first movie), who get married and four months later have five loveable little puppies.
While Chloe’s owner Aunt Viv (Susan Blakely) and her niece Rachel (Erin Cahill) – roles originated by Jamie Lee Curtis and Piper Perabo in the first movie – travel to the Amazon on a business trip, Papi’s owner Sam (Marcus Coloma) takes them to his parents’ house. What he doesn’t know is that his parents are facing foreclosure and eviction if they don’t come up with $40K in a week. Yes, it’s a story ripped straight from the headlines, but one that lots of people can identify with.
Of course, the pups spring into action and convince Sam and his parents to enter the Beverly Hills Dog Show, which offers a convenient top prize of $50K. They’re helped along the way by Papi’s best friend Pedro (Ernie Hudson) and gruff police dog Delgado (Miguel Ferrer). And how cool to hear these great voices in a kids’ movie.
While George Lopez is the only actor to revisit his role from the first movie, you don’t really miss the others. The replacements do a great job re-inventing the voices and characters, and Aunt Viv and Rachel don’t have enough screen time to notice the difference. Also, look for Morgan Fairchild as a dog show commentator alongside French Stewart. His star continues to rise (he has several upcoming movies, including ‘The Muppets’), and hers still shines brightly.
The addition of the puppies makes it fun for younger viewers (it’s ok for kids 5 and older), but also brings in some potty humor involving pee and poop – though it’s not too pervasive. What I love is that while the puppies are extremely adorable (don’t be surprised if your kids beg you for one after seeing the movie), they still manage to convey good messages about the importance of friends and family, sticking by each other through the tough times, and being proud of your heritage (we learn through flashbacks that Chihuahuas were the chosen pets of the Aztecs).
There’s also a touching sub-plot involving Delgado and his two estranged police dog sons. At first, you wonder if they’re trying to pack too much into this tiny movie, but it all works.
While ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2’ probably won’t go down in history as one of the best family movies ever, it’s still really cute, fun and educational.
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