OK, first off: Whoever decided to call this movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua needs to be fired really quick. I mean, seriously: Are we still cribbing titles off of Beverly Hills Cop -- which came out 27 years ago? You want your new kiddie flick to be remembered as fondly as Beverly Hills Ninja, Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers, Troop Beverly Hills, and The Taking of Beverly Hills? With all due respect to Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Slums of Beverly Hills, the phrase is practically the kiss of death where movies are concerned. (Makes me wish Axel Foley's first adventure had had a more accurate title, like A Detroit Cop in Beverly Hills or The Cop Who Laughed Funny.)But somehow I doubt it's the title that's going to irritate you most about this trailer. Personally I couldn't get past the fact that the computer-generated canines look about as realistic as a bunch of Muppet puppies. And get this: I actually own a half-chihuahua / half-terrier (it's actually my sister's freaky little dog), so I guess I'm part of the intended audience for this thing. Anyway, check out the mind-numbing promo clip and then we'll talk blame.
I just knew it was a Raja Gosnell flick. Who else but the director of Big Momma's House, Yours, Mine & Ours and both Scooby-Doo movies could helm something called Beverly Hills Chihuahua? (OK, fine, the guys who directed Snow Dogs or Kangaroo Jack could have handled it too.) Assuming you have children who actually care about such things, I offer this plot synopsis from the IMDb: "While on vacation in Mexico, Chloe, a ritzy Beverly Hills chihuahua, finds herself lost and in need of assistance in order to get back home."
Drew Barrymore provides the lead voice. Other familiar pipes include those of Jamie Lee Curtis, Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, and Paul Rodriguez. (What? No Banderas?) And while I do think it's cool that they've hired several actors of Hispanic and Latino descent to provide the voices for a bunch of chihuahuas ... dear lord this movie looks to be an endless migraine composed of forced cuteness and bad effects. Plus I'm not the first person who'll call it a feature-length Taco Bell commercial. The flick arrives on September 26, which gives you parents approximately three months to cook up some unimpeachable reasons as to why "We're NOT getting a chihuahua!" (Ah, plus the movie poster tells you how to pronounce "chihuahua," because Disney is convinced that most of us are morons.)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-06-2008 @ 6:08PM
Mr.R said...
Being Mexican myself, it takes a lot to piss me off when it comes to pastiche stereotypes but this is such a turd, seriously. I love how he names Aztecs right when you are seeing Machu Picchu in Peru. Imagine a movie from Disney that directly mocks black people like this, Beverly Hills N ga...of course not, we are tamed.
This movie coming from a society that still thinks 5 de Mayo is big in Mexico.
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5-06-2008 @ 7:30PM
Chris Vaughn said...
Man, we can rant all we want. But sadly, bile like this will forever be churned out, and the person who came up with the name, will do it again and again. They will climb that corporate ladder coming up with ridiculous film such as this.
And when I was in line for Iron Man I honestly, upon seeing the poster for this movie, which happened to be in the MAIN lobby, I did think it was a Taco Bell movie.
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5-06-2008 @ 8:33PM
Bubba8193 said...
The first title the film had, "South of the Border", was way better then "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". It sounds like a title to a Disney Channel Original Movie.
When I first saw the trailer, for a second (literally) I though it'd be funny. But then came the dancing, the singing and the million and one chihuahuas, at the ruined the whole thing. Another part of the trailer that annoyed me alot, was the fact that they say the word Chiuhuahua almost 100 times!
Hint to Disney: I kinda got the point that the movie has Chihuahuas
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5-06-2008 @ 8:34PM
Bubba8193 said...
The first title the film had, "South of the Border", was way better then "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". It sounds like a title to a Disney Channel Original Movie.
When I first saw the trailer, for a second (literally) I though it'd be funny. But then came the dancing, the singing and the million and one chihuahuas, at the ruined the whole thing. Another part of the trailer that annoyed me alot, was the fact that they say the word Chiuhuahua almost 100 times!
Hint to Disney: I kinda got the point that the movie has Chihuahuas
Reply
5-06-2008 @ 8:35PM
Bubba8193 said...
The first title the film had, "South of the Border", was way better then "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". It sounds like a title to a Disney Channel Original Movie.
When I first saw the trailer, for a second (literally) I thought it'd be funny. But then came the dancing, the singing and the million and one chihuahuas, and that ruined the whole thing. Another part of the trailer that annoyed me alot, was the fact that they say the word Chiuhuahua almost 100 times!
Hint to Disney: I kinda got the point that the movie has Chihuahuas
Reply
5-06-2008 @ 9:23PM
Tigerlily said...
And I thought the Love Guru looked bad. Cripes.
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5-06-2008 @ 10:49PM
Abigail said...
Hmmm, Losers? This movie is aimed at kids. It will make Alvin and Chipmunks kind of money.
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5-07-2008 @ 5:16AM
V.M.L. said...
I'm Mexican and I hate chihuahuas because they're so overrated! >_<
I'm afraid to see the trailer. Judging from the cast list, that is a waste of talent, or they're just in the movie for the money.
As for the Machu Picchu thing Mr. R mentioned, wow. Disney's offices are in LA, LA is in Southern California, SoCal is near Mexico, the movie takes place in Mexico, and you'd think the filmmakers had some knowledge of Mexican culture.
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