In a sentenceA large dog makes a mess, and apparently Charles Grodin is the problem
In the Newton family home, George Newton (Charles Grodin) wants Beethoven (Chris the Dog), a large St. Bernard, to stop causing damage. Alice Newton (Bonnie Hunt) and the children are attached to the animal, leaving George outnumbered whenever he objects. Ryce Newton (Nicholle Tom), Ted Newton (Christopher Castile) and Emily Newton (Sarah Rose Karr) share the house with a pet whose size makes his destructive behaviour difficult to ignore. As the dog makes a mess, George’s efforts to keep order put him at odds with his own family, who see little reason to stop loving Beethoven.
Beethoven is a serviceable family comedy, carried by an appealing St. Bernard and Charles Grodin’s exasperation. The dog supplies enough pleasure for animal lovers, though the repeated humiliation and cartoonish villains wear thin.
Brian Levant’s Beethoven offers modest amusement for dog lovers and rather more punishment than a family comedy needs. Its most dependable idea is a large St. Bernard behaving badly in a household that loves him anyway. The Newtons’ affection is easy to understand, but the film keeps assuming that affection makes any complaint about the animal unreasonable. That is a narrow basis for a comedy, even with Charles Grodin available to do the complaining.
Chris the Dog, playing Beethoven, gives the film an attraction that requires little explanation. His size makes the destructive antics funny before the plot starts asking him to be implausibly capable. We can enjoy the animal without needing him to accomplish quite so much. The film is at its most agreeable when it remembers that a dog can hold our attention without being given every possible advantage.
Grodin supplies the other reliable pleasure as George Newton. We laughed at his exasperation over Beethoven’s destructive behaviour, because he makes a reasonable objection sound funny without making it sound foolish. John Hughes and Amy Holden Jones keep returning to George’s humiliation, though, until the repetition starts to feel mean. Bonnie Hunt’s Alice Newton belongs to a family whose devotion to the dog keeps George outnumbered. There is room for a better domestic comedy here, one that allows the family to love Beethoven without requiring everyone else to be wrong.
Victor J. Kemper keeps the photography straightforward, letting Beethoven’s bulk do much of the visual work. Alex Tavoularis’s production design gives the domestic comedy an undistracting setting. Both choices make sense when the chief attraction is a large dog behaving badly. They also leave the repeated destruction needing stronger jokes to keep it interesting.
Editors William D. Gordean and Sheldon Kahn keep the comedy brisk, and the 87-minute running time is a sensible limit. That pace helps individual gags pass without too much fuss, although it cannot conceal how familiar the larger pattern becomes. Randy Edelman’s music adds a friendly tone that the writing does not always sustain. It supports the animal comedy well enough, without giving the Newtons much extra feeling.
The cartoonish villains are a further weakness, adding complications without much comic interest. A pet causing trouble at home offers plenty of scope for a family film; broader villainy needs to be funny or threatening enough to justify the interruption. Here it mostly makes the writing seem less confident in the dog. These stretches give the adults little to enjoy beyond waiting for the next animal joke.
At this pace, there is enough animal charm for a household already inclined to forgive a dog almost anything. It falls short of a family comedy that gives children and adults equally good reasons to stay. Grodin helps, but he cannot repair the thin writing. Consider it for children who want the dog; accompanying adults should not expect equal treatment.
The reviews lean towards a mixed response to Beethoven, with praise clustering around the St. Bernard’s appeal and the comedy’s suitability for children and dog lovers. The warmer assessments find a pleasant, lightweight diversion, though enthusiasm for its canine lead does not consistently extend to the film around him. Radio Times is the clearest supporter, praising Beethoven’s charm and the fast-moving comedy, and recommending it enthusiastically to animal lovers.
The spread is wide, with reservations ranging from limited appeal for adults to outright distaste for the family comedy. Complaints centre on cartoonish villains, predictability and the dog’s increasingly implausible abilities. Charles Grodin also divides opinion: the Los Angeles Times praises his comic performance, while Empire objects to his humiliating role and the unpleasant family-values subplot. The disagreement goes beyond how funny the dog’s antics are to whether the family’s response to him is appealing at all.
Berry gives the comedy an enthusiastic recommendation for animal lovers. She particularly praises Beethoven’s charm and the fast-moving comedy.
Read the full review →The page is identified as a review of the specified film, but its critical verdict cannot be verified from the accessible text. No specific element of praise or complaint is available in the page content provided.
Read the full review →Wilmington calls the film a pleasant, if lightweight, time-passer suited to an undemanding, dog-loving audience. He praises Charles Grodin’s comic performance but faults the film when it turns Beethoven into an implausible super-dog.
Read the full review →The review finds the film entertaining enough for children but only intermittently worthwhile for accompanying adults. It praises the big St. Bernard’s appeal while faulting the predictable resolution and cartoonish villains.
Read the full review →The critic presents the comedy as an unpleasant-sounding premise. They single out the dog’s destructive antics and the family’s affection for him as the central joke.
Read the full review →Newman gives the film a scathing verdict, calling it deeply horrible. He particularly objects to its unpleasant family-values subplot and Grodin’s humiliating role.
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Turner & Hooch · not on Fi1m yetAnother orderly adult discovers that a large dog has other priorities.
The Incredible Journey · not on Fi1m yetAnimal companionship takes centre stage, with adventure replacing the household wreckage.
My Dog Skip · not on Fi1m yetA quieter dog story that gives its human family more attention.
PaddingtonDomestic disruption handled with kinder jokes and more room for the adults.
A Town Called Panic · not reviewed yetFor families who enjoy household chaos without needing anyone to behave sensibly.
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