Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Movie review by Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Beverly Hills Chihuahua Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 5+

Upbeat talking-animal adventure is fun for kids.

PG 2008 91 minutes
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Parents say

age 5+

Based on 17 reviews

Kids say

age 6+

Based on 33 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

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."

Community Reviews

drpurr
drpurr Adult
March 25, 2009
age 8+

The dog fight scene can be very scary for kids

Both my kids were terrified of the dog fight scene. They begged me to turn it off and ran out of the room. (My kids are 8 and 6) I probably would not have bought the movie if I had known about that scene.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
Marvelsfan2021
Marvelsfan2021 Adult
November 20, 2021
age 2+

It's a great movie because it shows how to be responsible and be grateful for what you have.

I believe that Beverly Hills chihuahua is a great movie for all ages including spending time with family. Because it shows kids how to be responsible and grateful for what you have. The beginning of the movie it shows how spoiled Chloe the chihuahua is because the owner gives her whatever her heart desires, when papi the gardener's chihuahua shows how much he loves Chloe she turns him away because she thinks he's disgusting when he gives her the grasshopper. When the owner leaves her unresponsible, spoiled rotten and self centered neice to dog sit her aunt's chihuahua she complains how spoiled the dog is. When they leave for New Mexico the neice and her friends leave for a party which she should of chose to stay and refuse to leave her aunt's dog by herself. When the hotel owner opens the door and Chloe leaves by herself and gets dognapped by the people who put stray dogs into dogfighting,yes it's not appropriate for the kids to watch when the bigger dog tries to kill Chloe I would fast forward the movie that's what I did with my children. When the neice decides to stay and look for Chloe the German shepherd shows Chloe how to be grateful for what she had including her love partner papi.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 17 parent reviews

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?

The movie looks like fluff, but has a surprising amount of substance and style. 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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.

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

For kids who love animal movies

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