Blu-ray Review: Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)

Finding Its Bark on
DVD & Blu-ray
3/3/09

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In Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Johnny Depp asks if another character is a "Mexi-can" or a "Mexi-can't." In this south of the border Disney comedy that elevates itself following a clunky start-- Beverly Hills Chihuahua surprisingly turns into quite the entertaining family film and proof that it's a "Mexi-can."

Although, since I must confess that after witnessing Space Buddies, the idea of live action animals with animated mouths to match their vocals has made its way onto my list of irrational fears including escalators and Die Hard era Alan Rickman-- I was completely unprepared by how enjoyable this movie would turn out to be.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua begins as though it's a canine version of Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, Clueless, Legally Blonde, or The House Bunny by introducing us to our spoiled chihuahua heiress Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) as essentially the Paris Hilton of dogs whose owner Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday) is a cosmetics industry tycoon.

When she isn't pampered at the salon or engaging in super expensive play-dates with her fellow wealthy dogs, Chloe spends her time trying to ignore the adoration of George Lopez's Papi-- the landscaper's chihuahua who obviously has spent too much time watching telenovelas longing to break canine class clashes and romance the beautiful diva. However-- always reminding Papi that although they are the same breed-- they're of fiercely different stock-- the stuck-up Chloe gets a much needed reality check after Curtis must venture to Europe for a business trip and leaves her irresponsible niece played by Piper Perabo (The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Prestige) in charge.

Quickly venturing with her friends on a Mexican vacation, Perabo's Rachel ignores the list of her aunt's demands about expensive cuisine and three outfit changes per day and tries to feed Chloe food from a can. Gasp! When she leaves Chloe behind to go partying-- the fed up chihuahua decides to venture out on her own and is promptly abducted by ruthless members of a dog-fighting ring where she meets up with other pet-napped dogs.

Fortunately, Andy Garcia's German Shepard with the heart of gold takes pity on the pint sized Chloe and thereafter busts her out of the ring (not to mention an incredibly intense and frightening sequence that may scare Disney's youngest viewers) as the two team up to try and make their way home.

Meanwhile, having gotten word that his beloved Chloe is missing down south, Papi and his handsome owner Nick Zano decide to help-- for Chloe and their devotion to Curtis in lieu of the bratty Rachel who shares some predictable banter with the man she dismisses as the simple "gardener," only to realize that-- just like Chloe-- she must move past her spoiled ways.

With the terrifying El Diablo (Edward James Olmos)-- a GPS equipped villainous dog hot on Chloe and Delgado's tails, all the characters keep moving-- predictably missing each other at times by seconds-- as they encounter some unique and quirky Disney supporting characters like Cheech Marin's con-rat Manuel.

Although initially when Chloe landed quickly into the hands of dog-fighters, I worried it was going to stereotype-- the film quickly proved me wrong as it boasted countless roles for a wonderful ensemble of mostly Latin American actors including everyone from Paul Rodriguez and Luis Guzman to one of the three tenors himself-- Mr. Placido Domingo who arrives in the most-over-the-top set piece that's fitting for the opera man.

Living in essentially a haven for Chihuahuas to school Chloe in on her royal heritage as a descendant of the Aztec line, he implores her to look beyond the fact that she's tiny to instead think of herself as mighty in order to find her bark and say "no mas" to silly outfits or life relegated to being a purse accessory.

While it's cute and obviously contemporary in poking fun at those who treat Chihuahuas as though they were purse dogs-- Beverly Hills Chihuahua also manages to sneak in some interesting plot-lines involving an undercover police case, a subtle message about immigration as at one point Chloe and Delgado contemplate sneaking her across the border with the help of a coyote, and needless to say-- the true Disney tenants of unlikely friendships.

While every time a Disney film featuring dogs has been released, spontaneous pet ownership skyrockets-- Disney conquers this head on by ending the film with an important public service announcement that adding a pet to your home is a commitment for life.

Additionally and exclusive to the Blu-ray format, it's filled with more dog-oriented extras that go behind-the-scenes of working with hundreds of dogs (some who understood Spanish and others who only knew English) as well as learning more about the training process, Drew Barrymore's work to help save dogs from being euthanized, and intriguing facts including that the scene-stealing Papi was found at a local shelter, scheduled to be put down before the filmmakers stepped in and adopted him for the movie.

Also featuring a terrific animated short focusing on the Legend of the Chihuahua along with the run-of-the-mill disc inclusions of bloopers and deleted scenes-- most of the truly worthwhile featurettes are only available exclusively on the Blu-ray including a fun look at the cast as they record their voice work, such as Cheech Marin who likens the process of acting for animation as "carving with a chainsaw" since they have to be very big.

Giving Blu-ray fans the opportunity to access the Disney BD-Live Network and featuring the film in a crystal clear transfer that fills widescreen televisions and sounds excellent in English, Spanish, and French language 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital as well as 5.1 English Uncompressed audio tracks-- it's a marvelously high quality disc that again in boasting exclusive content for Blu-ray helps encourage Disney devotees to make the switch yet again with each successive superlative transfer to Blu-ray.

Although it was unfairly ridiculed as silly fluff and in some bizarre cases charged with celebrating a posh lifestyle during this horrific economic climate (as if reviewers felt that children weren't allowed the opportunity to escape from bleak times or that perhaps adults wanted a chance to laugh at the heiresses that treat their dogs better than human beings), I must say that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is much better than one would think, if like Chloe and Rachel you leave your cynicism and judgments at the doggy door.

And-- aside from a few cheesy jokes that seem to have been packed in as though they'd get an extra million every time they added the term "Chihuahua" to any given punch-line and a few overly CGI characters-- it's a nice treat of a family film that manages to simultaneously amuse adults and children alike which is a rare feat indeed but luckily again, we realize we're in the hands of a true "Mexi-can"-- the always royal Chihuahua.

Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)

Now Available on DVD & Blu-ray

Let's face it-- to quote Luis Guzman in Nothing Like the Holidays, classically speaking, holiday movies (most notably Christmas ones) are usually considered "white people s***."

Despite the flood of individuals from around the globe who ventured to the new world either when the Pilgrims crossed via the Mayflower or those whose ancestors braved the crowds of Ellis Island, our diversity as a country is seldom celebrated on film. Although Gurinder Chadha proved that dysfunction can be translated into any language with her underrated Thanksgiving film What's Cooking?, more often than not our holiday movies concern the plights of yuppie WASPS or granola hippies clashing over years of resentment or unrequited love such as evidenced in The Family Stone.

While on the surface, the obvious affection that director Alfredo De Villa (Washington Heights, Adrift in Manhattan) has for his Chicago based tale of a largely Puerto Rican family seems incredibly unique and fresh-- after a good fifteen minutes, it moves directly into Family Stone territory. And the similarity between the films is reaffirmed complete with echoing plot points. Yet Holidays is far more watchable as it provides much more warmth and humor to chill the icier edges of the former mean-spirited comedy.



However, along with the humor and obligatory "let's drink and talk" siblings hang out moments, dance parties, pillow fights, punches, cooking, and major revelations, it adds enough tension and subplots that I'm sure the screenwriters ran out of index cards within minutes... although hopefully they went green and used Final Draft in this process to avoid killing enough trees to fill Wrigley Field.

True to the paradigm, the grown offspring of Anna (Elizabeth Pena) and Edy (Alfred Molina) Rodriguez return home from the holidays one by one. The major and most compelling plot-line that ultimately separates Holidays from other films of its genres concerns the timely addition of a battle scarred Iraqi war veteran Jesse (the terrific Freddy Rodriguez) as he bids farewell to his friends and returns to his boisterous uncle Louis Guzman and best friend Ozzy (Jay Hernandez) to play baseball in the snow before venturing home. It's a unique moment that makes the film feel much more immediate however the crowded plot follows the two other adult siblings as well.

Although she feigns a life of glamor as a Hollywood movie star, with just one look at the beautiful, Tinsletown battle-scarred Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito) getting out of an airport shuttle van we realize that she's going to be doing her fair share of pretending everything is all right as well. In the obligatory sitcom-like (and extremely Family Stone inspired) drama of the third adult returning to the nest, John Leguizamo dons a posh Wall Street styled wardrobe. As the much-needed yuppie, he journeys to Chicago with his uptight, humorless, white Jewish wife Sarah (Debra Messing) where they barely set three feet inside the door before his mother is demanding to know why they haven't given her any grandchildren.



As soon as we see Sarah struggling to adapt to forced hugs with her tight hair pulled back clothing all buttoned and zipped up to her chin and her Bluetooth earpiece and microphone attached to her ear, we realize that she's going to be the odd one out. But instead of giving Messing the misfortune of putting her through the motions of a really bad Meet the Parents gauntlet of stress, Anna takes the pressure of by announcing around the dinner table in the form of a blunt toast that she wants to divorce her husband of more than thirty years.

Convinced that her husband Edy-- the local bodega owning Don Juan-- and his legendary eye have done more than simply wandered recently, the siblings all adapt to the news in various ways, choosing sides, until they realize that their reaction to the news echoes some of the own attitudes they have about their current situations.



Bolstered by a terrific ensemble cast-- especially as far as Rodriguez and Hernandez are concerned, although the latter actor's storyline was never fully fleshed out enough to really justify the drama involved-- Nothing Like the Holidays begins to feel a bit like an old Christmas fruit cake as it wears on. However, despite its recycled plotlines and easy to predict confrontations, the film's heart is true and it's a refreshingly sincere and earnest addition to the genre.



This is especially obvious when the movie is contrasted with the cynical yet entertaining comedy Four Christmases, which had fun going for laughs by adding the actors to Santa's naughty list via UFC smackdowns with Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon hurling children around as though she were auditioning for Mickey Rourke's part in The Wrestler. Instead of broad humor, De Villa's Holidays aims for the heart. And while it may not provide as many genuine chuckles, Holidays promises that the nourishment value is up by ensuring you'll be served a balanced diet of holiday movies to help make your own family dysfunction much easier to bear by comparison.