Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)

Directed by: Alex Zamm | 84 minutes | action, comedy, adventure, family | Actors: George Lopez, Odette Yustman, Miguel Ferrer, Ernie Hudson, Marcus Coloma, Morgan Fairchild, Emily Osment, Bridgit Mendler, Christine Lakin, Elaine Hendrix, Olivia Newton-John, Madison Pettis, French Stewart, Zachary Gordon, Loretta Devine, Susan Blakely, Erin Cahill

Some children’s or youth films are actually undervalued by this characterization. Many Disney and Pixar animated films, for example, are not only fun for children, but are also great for parents to watch, making the term “family film” a better choice. Just like a youth film like ‘Minoes’ or, more recently, ‘Dik Trom’, films are useful for the whole family. For example, there are often deeper layers or clever winks in such films that can only be understood by the parents. Even in a cartoon series like ‘SpongeBob Squarepants’ clearly intended for children, you can find dialogue or jokes that will make an adult chuckle, but the punch line will completely escape a child. He has long liked that Spongebob makes such a strange face or that there are bright colors in the picture. However, there are also really films for children that will not please an adult.

A good example is the hilarious and original work ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2′. It might be a hell of a kick ass for kids, but the parents will really have to find a better way to spend nearly an hour and a half. To be fair, the movie could have been a lot worse than it actually is. When you hear the title you think of superficiality, “bling bling”, Paris Hilton, flat humor, hyperactive animals. Fortunately, all this has been kept to a minimum. The dogs and their owners are, insofar as they have a personality, sympathetic, the humor is civilized – they don’t make it much more colorful than peeing on the eviction papers of a scrupulous banker -, the critters hardly get on the nerves with their wild antics , and the message(s) are all very sound and excellent teaching material for the little ones (be brave, be responsible, stand up for your friends etc.). At the same time, everything is so terribly tame, uninspired and one-dimensional.

The big joke of the opening scene is that we see two young people in a church looking lovingly at each other as a pastor performs a wedding ceremony and suddenly, just before the yes, the camera goes down and it becomes clear that the ceremony is not for these people. but for their dogs: two chihuahuas! That could well put a faint smile on the viewer’s face, but the joke quickly wears off. The pastor has adapted the prenuptial agreement to this animal species (“With dry and wet noses”…) and ends with the dubious bouncer: “You may now lick the bride.”

As soon as the concept is clear – the dogs are central and behave just like people – the film turns out to have little news to report and also to contain too little energy and adventure to hold the attention. Like so many animal-centric animated films (especially when it comes to sequels), this one revolves around the family life of the animals, and the various insecurities and fears (especially of the men) that often arise. Because the dogs Papi and his Chloe get a litter full of puppies and Papi struggles a lot with fatherhood and his responsibilities. He acts too much like one of their boyfriends and not like their father.

In addition – and this argument comes out a bit worse – it turns out that his bedtime stories are a bit too adventurous and make the puppies wild instead of sleepy. It’s all not very surprising. The plot of the film is – essentially – heartwarming but too familiar and too clinically treated to get really excited about it. The parents of the Chihuahua’s owners are in danger of being evicted because of money problems, but the dogs will probably find something to help them. During this mission they take on an unreasonable bank manager and a bunch of crooks – all fat-boned villains – but really it only becomes fun and original in the final phase of this adventure, when the dogs decide to participate in a dog show, complete with catwalk and snobbish contestants and judges.

The form of the film is not new. Talking (real) animals have been the subject of many films, from ‘Babe’ to ‘Dr. Dolittle’, to ‘G-Force’, but where a film like ‘Babe’ was still fairly intelligent and enjoyable for both children and adults – with an original story, appealing or touching characters, and a lot of humor and energy – ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2’ on autopilot, without much attention to originality or interesting dynamics. The film seems to build on other Disney “success” in this subgenre, such as “Airbud” (starring a Golden Retriever) and its derivatives featuring the adventures of its little “buddies” (puppies). But just the fact that these doggies talk and do human things isn’t enough for a successful film – although kids may think otherwise. In addition, Chihuahuas also have to do without the high cuddliness and cuteness of more photogenic congeners (like the Golden Retriever). Fortunately, Papi himself is sometimes quite funny and has a nice voice, but the puppies are in fact interchangeable and have hardly acquired any personality. ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2’ is innocent and responsible entertainment, but unfortunately not very entertaining.