Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

also known as “Le Chihuahua de Beverly Hills,” “South of the Border”
MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA) for some mild thematic elements.

Reviewed by: Pati Smith
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Better than average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Kids, Family
Genre: Family, Adventure, Comedy
Length:
Year of Release: 2008
USA Release: October 3, 2008 (3000 theaters)
DVD release: March 3, 2009
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Relevant Issues
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Dogs in the Bible

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Featuring Salma Hayek, Drew Barrymore, Piper Perabo, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andy Garcia, Nick Zano, Luis Guzmán (Luis Guzman), Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin, George Lopez, Marguerite Moreau, Michael Urie, Ali Hillis, Paul Rodriguez, Marianne Muellerleile, Maury Sterling, Plácido Domingo, Eugenio Derbez, José María Yazpik, Sal Lopez, Brandon Keener, Julie Claire, Gina Gallego, Manolo Cardona, Jesús Ochoa, Nick Dash, Channing Chase, Omar Leyva, Mike Faiola, Travis Winfrey, Ed Francis Martin, Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, Pascal Petardi, Steven Koller, Mercedes Connor, Holly Bonelli, Randall England, Naomy Romo, Carlos Juvera, Liv Boughn, Lilly Lange
Director Raja Gosnell
Producer Louanne Brickhouse, Ricardo Del Río, David Hoberman, John Jacobs, Todd Lieberman, Todd Y. Murata, Steve Nicolaides
Distributor Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

“50% warrior. 50% lover. 100% Chihuahua.”

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Chloe (voice of Drew Barrymore), a diamond-clad, bootie wearing Beverly Hills Chihuahua enjoys her luxurious lifestyle so much, she hardly notices Papi (voice of George Lopez), a tough looking Chihuahua who happens to be head-over-paws for the pampered pooch. But when Chloe gets lost in the rough streets of Mexico with only a street-wise German Shepherd (voice of Andy Garcia) to help her find her way home, Papi heads south of the border—joining forces with a motley crew: two humans (Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona), a sly rat (voice of Cheech Marin) and a nervous iguana (voice of Paul Rodriguez)—to rescue his true love.”

I took my 4 year old daughter to see “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” It was a very family friendly movie. I am pretty picky about what I let my daughter watch and was a little worried there would be a lot of sexual innuendos and swearing in it. There was neither.

I thought it was a morally good movie. People and the dogs in the movie ban together to find the missing Chloe. Delgado realizes what it means to be a true friend and keep his promise and to get over the pain of past hurts. All the dogs learn what it means to be loved and wanted as they stick together for Chloe.

The only part I didn’t like (and my daughter and I had a talk about it afterwards) was that in the end, after Chloe is safe at home, Rachel and Vasquez (I think their names are) hide from her owner, Viv, the fact that she had gotten lost. I told my daughter, they should have been honest and told Viv the truth. Chloe got lost because Rachel, who was put in charge of Chloe, was negligent and left her alone while she went out on a date instead of watching her as promised.

Overall, the movie is fantastic, and I would highly recommend it for age 4 or 5 and up.

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This is one of the best movies ever and it’s for everyone. I took my 5, 7, + 10 yr old grandchildren to it. The theater was filled with all ages and we all loved it. The movie is clean and decent and enjoyable. How rare for today! There is a strong theme of love and caring for others. No cursing, sexual content, or violence. A little bit tense at the dogfight scene but they turned that around well (it became a good point of discussion with the kids later about the disgusting and illegal “sport”). The quality of the film is absolutely wonderful. You just begin to believe those little dogs can talk! All the dogs are very talented. This was one of the best movie experiences in a long time. We came out of the theater laughing about how much fun we’d had. Just go and enjoy!!! Let’s show the movie industry that this is what we want.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
M. Young, age 50
Positive—this movie was very good it is funny and exciting I think it shows romance but not in a sexual way and friendship and pride it has a good moral and makes you laugh and gasp I would love to see it again with my kids I’m sure you won’t waste your money on it
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Morgan, age 42
Positive—I went to see this with my seven-year-old daughter and my somewhat reluctant 13-year-old son. My daughter had been taken by the trailers, and really wanted to see it. I was a little reluctant to see it the first weekend because it was PG, and sometimes Disney movies nowadays can be too crude or have children who act disrespectfully. However, we all loved the movie, and laughed out loud on many occasions, and cheered for the brave Chihuahuas. We all enjoyed it very much, and I was glad to see a movie that was good for the whole family. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of crudity, and the positive moral message of being a responsible person, and not being prejudiced against those different from you. The human heroine, Rachel, is initially portrayed as not very responsible, but she changes and tried hard to find her aunt’s dog because it is her responsibility, even though she initially doesn’t like her much. I didn’t catch any profanity, and there were no questionable sexual scenes, only hugs. Rachel and her friends go dancing and meet some men, but Rachel doesn’t invite her date in. There are some scenes where there are young women in bikinis (and dogs!), but it is part of a pool scene and it not commented upon by anyone. The PG part is probably due to dog peril, where the heroine Chihuahua and her champions are threatened with mauling or death by the bad guy’s dog and later some cougars. There are some dog scuffles, but no blood. You see some of the seedy side of Mexico and dog fighting and gangs, but they are portrayed as bad, and the police are portrayed positively.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Linda Walkup, age 46
Positive—I took my 4 year old daughter to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua last week. It was a very family friendly movie. I am pretty picky about what I let my daughter watch and was a little worried there would be a lot of sexual innuendos and swearing in it. There was neither.

I thought it was a morally good movie. People and the dogs in the movie ban together to find the missing Chloe. Delgado realizes what it means to be a true friend and keep his promise and to get over the pain of past hurts. All the dogs learn what it means to be loved and wanted as they stick together for Chloe.

The only part I didn’t like (and my daughter and I had a talk about it afterwards) was that in the end, after Chloe is safe at home, Rachel and Vasquez (I think their names are) hide from her owner, Viv, the fact that she had gotten lost. I told my daughter, they should have been honest and told Viv the truth. Chloe got lost because Rachel, who was put in charge of Chloe, was negligent and left her alone while she went out on a date instead of watching her as promised.

Overall, the movie is fantastic and I would highly recommend it for age 4 or 5 and up.

My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Pati Smith, age 48
Positive—Go see this film! This is one of the best Disney films produced in the last twenty years. It was beautifully filmed, expertly directed, the

acting—human and animal—was outstanding, and the editing was one of the best of any film that I’ve ever seen—and I’ve seen a lot of films in 50 years of movie-going. This movie has clever lines, witty scenes, and fast action. And even though there’s a great deal of action the editing quickly moves from one scene to the next, in different locations, smoothly and coherently. I laughed numerous times and cried half dozen times. The moral of the story is clear to both children and adults: do not be judgmental and always be charitable. (The only negative aspect—which didn’t offend me—was that that the film almost suggests that it’s one long commercial for Disney cruises to Mexico.)
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Lana Lorenzen, age 57
Positive—This movie was worth every dollar and it should give Hollywood the message that this is the kind of stuff families would like to see more of in the future. Comedy can still be clean and funny at the same time.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Eunice Stahl, age 42
Positive—I loved this movie! I didn’t think there was a single questionable thing! It has a great script, and wonderful acting. I recommend this movie to ANYONE!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Zoey, age 19
Neutral

none

Negative
Negative—Just a warning to everyone else who viewed this page and thought this would be an awesome movie. There are scenes that display the lust of the eyes, when the girls are eyeballing and commenting about the half-naked guys on the beach. There are some questionable outfits, two piece bathing suits, guys in swimming attire and a short scene where a female’s back end is slightly hanging out of her swimsuit. Just a warning to everyone trying to keep their eyes and minds pure, not a very good choice. We turned the movie off when it got to the beach scene, so we didn’t view the entire movie.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2
Robin And Morgan, age 22 and 19 (USA)
Negative—In the very beginning, a male dog says to a female dog he would lick her hard to reach places in a sexy tone. I also know it’s just a movie but people really do spend lots of $$ on doggie clothes, etc. I told my kids they have the right to do so, although there are kids in our own back yard and all over the world who don’t have anything to eat and the $$ would help them. All eyes on Him!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
A, age 50ish (USA)
Comments from young people
Positive—I saw this movie with my friend and my mom. I think I actually didn’t think it would be that good but I was surprised. I think this movie had a good message about responsibility. It also sent out that message in a kid friendly way. I am glad I went to see it!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Kelly Smith, age 12
Positive—I went to this movie with my friends and we all concluded that this was a very cute movie. It was enjoyable and it gave us a good laugh. Although, it did drag on a little too long (the girl Chihuahua kept on getting lost again and again), but for the most part it was a good movie. There was nothing offensive and it was a clean movie. Dog-lovers should definitely see it!!!…
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Corrin, age 13
Positive—I absolutely loved this movie. It’s a fantastic movie for the entire family. Both adults and kids will get a kick out of the comedy, the adventure, and of course, the adorable little Chihuahuas! I was laughing my head off the entire movie and I recommend this movie to anyone looking to have a good time. It’s hard to leave the theater afterwards and not think of getting a Chihuahua! These little fellows in the movie are absolutely amazing! I will say, there are a couple really corny parts, but overall, this was an awesome movie!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Ellen, age 15
Positive—This movie was crazy (good)! The story begins when the dog’s owner goes on a trip and leaves the dog in the care of another person. That is when all of the craziness starts! In my opinion, this is a great movie, overall. I don’t think that there was any bad or inappropriate language or scenes in the movie at all. There were dogs in this movie that talked, and it looked very believable. I think that kids 12 years old and under would think that this is a great movie. The moral of the movie is not giving up, and that you don’t have to be big to have friends.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 5
Micah, age 11 (USA)
Neutral—I am a guy who mostly likes movies like “The Dark Knight,” “I am Legend,” “Twilight,” and “Eagle Eye.” Overall, this was a good movie showing good Christian morals like humility and courage. It tells about a small chihuahua who, through an unfortunate chain of events, learns a lesson that changes her attitude and wins her a few friends. Although it had a good story line and was pretty funny, this movie was mostly geared toward younger kids. The moviemaking quality was about equal to “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” This would be a good movie to be enjoyed by kids 12 and under, and their parents.

Biblically—This movie was good in that it did not bash any Christian morals or discount anything pertaining to the Christian walk and also included obvious Christ-like characteristics.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Ashton, age 16 (USA)
Positive—This movie had nothing offensive in it… I thought it was OK—kind of boring to me, though. But that’s just my opinion. I liked Mall Cop better.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Kathryn, age 11
Positive—I loved this movie. It was very sweet and cute. It’s a very family friendly movie. The kids will get a kick out of the adorable Chihuahuas and the parents and older children will laugh at the humor. I’m 15 years old and this is by far my favorite movie. Yes, there are some corny parts but it’s a very fun movie over all.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Ellen, age 15 (USA)
Neutral—I thought that overall this movie was pretty good. However, I do have to say that if you are over 12 you will probably think that it is a little childish. It is a great movie though!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Sarah Moore, age 14 (USA)