Michelle:

The enthusiastic chuckling from my 10-yr old just at the teaser of miniature dancing dogs guaranteed my attendance at the first of 4 upcoming dog flicks with ‘Bolt,’ ‘Marley and Me,’ and ’Hotel for Dogs’ soon to follow. Disney bounds out of the pound with ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ or as the kids have been calling it, the BHC movie.

A froo-froo Chihuahua (think Legally Blonde), Chloe (Drew Barrymore), is kidnapped while on holiday in Mexico and briefly thrown into the world of illegal dogfighting. Once freed by her fellow canine inmates, Chloe’s long trek back to the life of spas and Rodeo Drive include a love-sick male Chihuahua, Papi (George Lopez), aided by an ex-police dog German Shepherd, Delgado (Andy Garcia), and on the run from a bad-to-the bone doberman, El Diablo (Edward James Olmos). The comic relief comes from savy rat, Manual, (Cheech Marin) and his sidekick, Chico, a skidish iguana (Paul Rodriguez). The humans of the film, Piper Perabo and Jamie Lee Curtis, understandably, and probably thankfully, have little face time.

While on their journey through the desert, Chloe and Delgado are rescued from ravenous mountain lions by Montezuma (Placido Domingo) and a large pack of Chihuahuas. They, and we, are taken to the Lost City of Chihuahuas and treated to wincing lines of “talk to the paw” and a lackluster pooch dance number. And it’s here, where Chloe finds her true bark, her true inner Chihuahua. “No more are we just fashion accessories” they cry “!No Mas!” That’s exactly what I was thinking… no more!!

Director Raja Gosnell (Scooby-Doo 1 & 2, Yours, Mine, and Ours) does a less than stellar job with this talking animal pic. Even with his experience of mixing live action with animated CGI, Gosnell fails to make this dog Best in Show. However, Beverly Hills Chihuahua will appeal to its target audience, kids, who will be be howling throughout… I know my young pup did.

[rating:2/5]