Fan Rant: Disney Actually Made a Movie Called 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'

by Scott Weinberg May 6th 2008 // 5:32PM

Filed under: Comedy, Disney, Fandom, Family Films, Fan Rant

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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