Minahzur Rahman
It's a good film to see for the family especially if you're a fan of Dogs. It also somehow teaches you to whether actually get a Dog or not, and what it could actually be like to have a Dog as part of the family. The film has a lot of humour, so I see no reason why anyone could dislike such a family film. There aren't many films based on Dogs that can match Beethoven, so its worth watching. There are sequels for Beethoven, but none of them beats the original unless I'm mistaken.
FilmBuff1994
Beethoven is a very mediocre film with an extremely basic storyline that lacks originality and an average cast. It's reasonably enjoyable, Beethoven is certainly a very lovable dog, and having him in the title role definitely helps the film, the dogs are of course the main thing that makes this watchable. My biggest issue with this movie is that there is absolutely no bit of humour for adults to laugh at, all of the comedy is aimed at children, I felt Charles Grodin's character had great potential to make the older audience chuckle, but sadly even his lines and antics were all just to make the kids giggle. I think the films villain is terrible, he isn't isn't properly introduced until about twenty minutes before the movie ends and we are never made fully clear of his motives, he was certainly borrowing a lot of traits from Cruella De Vil, it was also a very unusual move to make a veterinarian the bad guy and I found it to be somewhat offensive towards people who are saving animals lives on a daily basis, they should have just made him a regular dog thief. Little laughs for an older audience and a straight forward story that you barely need to follow, kids will certainly enjoy it, but I couldn't possibly recommend Beethoven. An family adopts a lovable puppy that grows into a large St Bernard. Best Performance: Charles Grodin Worst Performance: Dean Jones
Scott LeBrun
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.
Lee Eisenberg
OK, when we were younger, we all liked it when movies portrayed families buying unusual pets who proceeded to trash everything. Back in the early 1800s, when Ludwig van Beethoven was writing and performing his great music, he probably never suspected that such a movie would carry his name.So, "Beethoven" is cute, if nothing else (actually, there really is nothing else). Aside from the main cast of Charles Grodin (when was the last time that he starred in something really good?), Bonnie Hunt and Dean Jones, there are also some people who got really famous within a few years: Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, David Duchovny (is Mulder investigating a conspiracy here?) and Patricia Heaton.
AD
