Beverly Hills Chihuahua

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Upbeat talking-animal adventure is fun for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that, like most movies featuring talking dogs (or animals of any kind, really), this upbeat adventure comedy will interest young pet lovers. The film doesn't have much in the way of iffy content except for some mild peril revolving around a dogfight promoter's mean mutt and a group of mountain lions that endanger the pup protagonist. Two dogs have a heartfelt romance, and two humans flirt. There are a few insults and some silly Mexican jokes (said by animals); e.g. "We're MexiCAN, not MexiCAN'T."

  • Mostly positive messages. The movie explores class and cultural issues. A few silly Mexican jokes (said by animals).
  • Chloe realizes that there's more to life than being a pampered lap dog,
    and Rachel learns to be more responsible after Chloe runs away from
    her. Chloe overcomes her princess-y prejudices to form bonds with
    Delgado and Papi.
  • Mild peril: Chloe and Delgado confront mountain lions, dog-fight promoters, and a mean attack dog. Cops brandish their guns to arrest a character, but the weapons are only shown, not shot.
  • Dogs flirt/kiss and discuss dating; two humans also hug and flirt.
  • Mild insults: "idiot," "stupid," "failure," "prissy."
  • The movie is about a pampered pooch from Beverly Hills... Brands include Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston, and Gucci. Rodeo Drive is also featured.

What's the story?

Carried around in the latest Louis Vuitton dog purse and sporting a diamond-encrusted Harry Winston collar, Chloe the titular BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is an ultra-pampered lap dog. When her owner, filthy-rich cosmetics maven Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis), goes on a business trip to Italy, she leaves Chloe in the care of her irresponsible young niece Rachel (Piper Perabo). During a "girls' weekend" trek to Mexico, Chloe leaves Rachel's hotel and is immediately dognapped into the seedy world of dog fighting. With the help of former police dog Delgado (Andy Garcia) Chloe escapes and attempts to return to Beverly Hills.


Is it any good?

 

Featuring a voice cast of mostly Latino stars -- from George Lopez as Chloe's courageous suitor Papi to Edward James Olmos as a mean attack dog named El Diablo -- Beverly Hills Chihuahua starts out feeling like a canine-focused episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and then morphs into a homeward-bound odyssey. As Chloe and Delgado try to cross the border and form an odd-couple friendship, he reclaims some of his former glory as a K-9 officer and she discovers her true "bark."

This talking-animal comedy even offers a perfectly timed lesson in Mexican dog heritage. Cornered by mountain lions, Delgado and Chloe are saved by a band of "tiny but mighty" Chihuahuas, whose leader, Monte (Placido Domingo), explains that the ancient breed used to be the chosen companions of the great Aztecs. They're not meant to be frivolously dressed lap dogs named FiFi but small warriors with a powerful bark. Ultimately, like Chloe, the movie looks like fluff but has a surprising amount of substance and style. Viva La Raza (of Chihuahuas, anyway)!


What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the class and cultural issues the movie explores. At first, Chloe pretends not to like Papi. Why?

  • How did Chloe's troubles in Mexico open her eyes to how other dogs live? Is that an important message for people too?

  • What does Monte teach viewers about being proud of our heritage? 

  • Discuss what made kids want to see this movie -- the story, or all the advertising for it.


This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Teen, 16 years old
May 16, 2011
 
It shows a heroic little chihuahua (sp?) going to rescue his loved one and an awesome rough german shepherd Delgado whos an ex police dog tags along side the movies main heroine Chloe. Some fights might scare sensitive children.

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Parent of 5 year old
January 25, 2010
 
Cute
There are some good messages being sent regarding overcoming disappointments, standing by your friends and helping out someone in danger. My son loves it and its nice to find another movie without guns to watch

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Teen, 15 years old
February 16, 2010
 
love the movie!
I love this movie! It is one of my favorite animal movies! I just adore this movie! Definitely recommend this movie! I just love it! :) Its very cute!

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Teen, 16 years old
October 9, 2010
 
I watched this movie with my nanny and she didn't like it. It was really STUPID.

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Kid, 13 years old
August 23, 2010
 
Amazing, I love it!
Cute family movie that everyone will want to watch but it is a bit scary at times.

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Kid, 12 years old
January 24, 2011
 
Some parts were scary and some parts were touching. The movie was okay.

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Kid, 10 years old
January 9, 2011
 
Beverly Hills Chihuahua! ?????????
It was a really good movie! My 4 year old sister liked it!

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Adult
November 8, 2010
 
Some tense fights might be scary for little kids. Also if your kid is scared of big dogs, this may not be the best movie for them due to a threatening villian. Also a dog mentions that she wants a mate who hasn't been fixed, but that is likely to fly over a little kids head.

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Teen, 16 years old
February 17, 2011
 
Suggested MPAA Rating: PG for some tense scenes, thematic content, frightening scenes.

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Parent
August 5, 2010
 
Viva La Papi and Chloe!
This is a great movie. It's very funny and kids and adults of most any age will find it humorous. There's no bad language or real violence in the movie. I only had two concerns about the movie: 1) Jamie Lee Curtis's niece behaves VERY irresponsibly mostly because she's a spoiled brat and an airhead. She's selfish and only thoughtful when she realizes that her aunt is going to kill her once she finds out that she (the niece) has lost her prized Chihuahua. 2) The dog fight scene is kinda scary and some kids who love dogs may have issues with that. While those sorts of things are illegal in the U.S. (just ask Michael Vick), it shows that not other countries subscribe to the same values as Americans. If your children are animal lovers, I would preview that scene before showing it to them. There's no blood or real violence (as stated above), but Chloe (Drew Barrymore) fighting a Doberman Pincher ("Diablo", as voiced by the great Edward James Olmos) is kinda scary. George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, and many more star in this hilarious movie of misadventure.

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This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Studio:Walt Disney Pictures
Director:Raja Gosnell
Cast:Cheech Marin, Drew Barrymore, George Lopez
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:91 minutes
Theatrical release date:October 2, 2008
DVD release date:March 3, 2009
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:some mild thematic elements.

This review was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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