Beethoven (film)
Beethoven | |
---|---|
Directed by | Brian Levant |
Written by | Edmond Dantès[1] Amy Holden Jones |
Produced by | Joe Medjuck Michael C. Gross |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Victor J. Kemper |
Edited by | William D. Gordean Sheldon Kahn |
Music by | Randy Edelman |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $147.2 million[3] |
Beethoven is a 1992 American
Plot
A group of puppies are stolen from a pet store by two thieves, Harvey and Vernon. A
Beethoven quickly grows into a large dog and George must clean up after the lovable but slobbery, mischievous animal. The dog becomes an important part of the family: he helps Ryce talk to a boy she has a crush on, scares off bullies for harming Ted, and saves Emily's life when she falls into an irresponsible babysitter's swimming pool. George still maintains his dislike, which is further aggravated when the dog's antics ruin a barbecue he is hosting for Brad and Brie Wilson, unpleasant venture capitalists looking to invest and swindle him out of his car air freshener firm.
The Newtons take Beethoven to veterinarian Dr. Herman Varnick for a routine medical exam, unaware that he is secretly involved in unethical and deadly animal experiments. Dr. Varnick tells George of a supposed mental instability among St. Bernards that make them potentially dangerous and violent, and advises him to watch Beethoven closely for any sign of viciousness. However, Dr. Varnick actually seeks large-skulled dogs such as St. Bernards for an ammunition test.
Under the guise of doing a follow-up exam on Beethoven, Varnick visits the Newton home. After applying fake blood onto his arm and the dog, he provokes Beethoven into a fight and successfully convinces George that the dog attacked him. Varnick warns George that Beethoven may be turning aggressive and must be put to sleep, or he will have no choice but to press charges. Against the protests of Alice and his kids, George reluctantly takes Beethoven to Varnick's office. On the way there, George reveals his own father took the family dog to be put down at the vet, which he never forgave him for. George fears that his family will similarly hate him. When he returns home, his fears are proven true when his family leaves the dinner table.
George has a change of heart when Alice pushes him to consider the impact on his family. Accompanied by Alice and the kids, he goes to Varnick's office to find Beethoven, but the doctor lies and claims the dog has already been euthanized. However, George remembers that the receptionist told him that Beethoven would not be put to sleep until the next day. George then notices that Varnick has no bite marks on his arm and, realizing he lied to the Newtons, punches him.
The Newtons then follow Varnick to his warehouse, where Beethoven is being kept. Beethoven manages to escape his cage, but is recaptured by Harvey and Vernon, who are revealed to be working for the doctor. As Alice uses a phone booth to call the police, George goes to the top of the building and spies through the skylight. The skylight crashes and George falls to the ground in front of Varnick, who prepares to shoot Beethoven. Before he can, he is impeded by Sparky, a captive
Dr. Varnick, Harvey and Vernon are arrested for animal cruelty. Beethoven and the Newtons are praised as heroes in the news and George takes a new liking to the dog. The Newtons go to sleep, saying good night to Beethoven, along all of the other dogs they rescued.
Cast
- Charles Grodin as George Newton
- Bonnie Hunt as Alice Newton
- Dean Jones as Dr. Herman Varnick
- Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton
- Christopher Castile as Ted Newton
- Sarah Rose Karr as Emily Newton
- Oliver Platt as Harvey
- Stanley Tucci as Vernon
- David Duchovny as Brad Wilson
- Patricia Heaton as Brie Wilson
- Laurel Cronin as Devonia Peet
- Nancy Fish as Miss Grundel
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as one of Ted's schoolmates
- Richard Portnow as Ammo Gun Salesman
Production
John Hughes left the Beethoven script for Universal Pictures when he parted ways with the studio.[1] Hughes allowed Universal to make the film on the condition that he be credited under his pseudonym, Edmond Dantès.[4] It became an open secret in the industry that Hughes was behind the pseudonym.[4]
The dogs featured in the film were owned and trained by Eleanor Keaton.[5] Beethoven is played by canine actor Chris, who had 12 doubles.[6]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 31%, based on reviews from 29 critics, with an average score of 4.7/10. The critical consensus reads: "Fluffy and incorrigible, Beethoven is a good boy who deserves a better movie".[7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave Beethoven a grade of A.[8]
The Washington Post's Rita Kempley praised the film as a "a waggish tale of canine chicanery, an uproarious if impawsible symphony of drool, doggy fidelity and chewed shoes".[9] Johanna Steinmetz of the Chicago Tribune wrote "'Beethoven' charms its way through [its] highly formulaic premise with the help of some smart animal-handling, a few excellently realized visual stunts and narrative montages of life a la dog."[10] The Hartford Courant said, "The most important work comes from a hulking, brown-eyed, sad-faced big star named Chris, who makes Beethoven into a Benji for the '90s, a sort of canine Wallace Beery or Walter Matthau. Roll on, Beethoven."[11]
In The New York Times, Caryn James wrote Beethoven is "much more enjoyable than it has any right to be" and "tugs all the right strings, in a manner strangely reminiscent of 'Home Alone.' It is savvy about kids' troubles...[and] is sentimental but not gooey. Most important, its cartoonish bad guys offer villainy without any true danger and are vanquished by a non-adult hero."[4] James's colleague Janet Maslin also gave a positive review, opining that while the film is "no classic...it's a sunny, energetic children's film with a good notion of what young audiences like".[12]
James added Charles Grodin "provides much of the adult appeal of 'Beethoven.' He underplays his comic scenes where another actor would have been mugging furiously, but he still lets on that George is a softy underneath it all".[4] In the Los Angeles Times, Michael Wilmington said, "The movie is about the way pets humanize uptight suburbanites. And the suburbanite here, Charles Grodin as George Newton, is a good part of what makes 'Beethoven' work. Grodin’s mastery of uptight types is always apparent."[6] He concluded "despite [Beethoven's] crudities, overstatement and predictable plot...there's something a little goofy and sweet about it".[6]
Negative reviews criticized the film's plot,[14][15] with some expressing it recycles cliches from other dog films like Turner & Hooch.[16][17] Others pointed out the film's darker elements may be too scary for young kids.[18][11][19] Chris Hicks of the Deseret News wrote "the first half brings to mind the best elements of 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,' with its delightful portrayal of domestic bliss gone awry. But the second half is more like a failed kiddie version of a TV crime drama. And the film never quite recovers."[18] Hal Lipper of theTampa Bay Times called the film an "87-minute commercial" for pet food company Iams, but praised Bonnie Hunt's performance.[16][6]
The plot line of Alice leaving the work force after an alarming experience with a babysitter was criticized in multiple reviews because of its perceived bias against working mothers.
Box office
Beethoven opened in third place at the North American box office, with a total of $7,587,565.[21] In its fourth week of release, it moved to the number 2 spot.[21] The film ultimately grossed $57,114,049 in North America and $90,100,000 in other territories, for a total of $147.2 million worldwide.[22][6][3]
Accolades
Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Genesis Awards[23] | Best Feature Film | Won | |
Young Artist Awards[24] | Best Young Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture | Sarah Rose Karr | Nominated |
Best Family Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | Nicholle Tom | Nominated | |
Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | Christopher Castile | Nominated |
Music
The soundtrack to the film was released on December 15, 1992.[25]
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Opening" | The World's Most Dangerous Band | 4:43 |
Total length: | 38:51[26] |
Sequels and spin-offs
The film was followed by four
References
- ^ a b c "Beethoven (1992)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Beethoven". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Beethoven (1992)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f James, Caryn (May 17, 1992). "FILM REVIEW; Bite vs. Bark, Or 'Beethoven' Vs. 'Ferngully'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Galloway, Doug (October 21, 1998). "Eleanor Norris Keaton". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Wilmington, Michael (April 3, 1992). "MOVIE REVIEW: 'Beethoven': Lightweight Tail-Wagger". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ "Beethoven (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Cinemascore :: Movie Title Search". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Kempley, Rita (April 3, 1992). "'Beethoven'". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Steinmetz, Johanna (April 3, 1992). "Cute 'Beethoven' A Classic Dog Story". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "'Beethoven' Rolls Along with Fun". Hartford Courant. April 3, 1992. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (April 3, 1992). "Review/Film; A Dog, a Dad and, Yes, an Evil Veterinarian". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (April 3, 1992). "Beethoven". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (April 3, 1992). "Beethoven". EW.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Sherman, Betsy (April 3, 1992). "Whiny 'Beethoven': No music to your ears". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Lipper, Hal (April 3, 1992). "Roll over 'Beethoven'". Tampa Bay Times. p. 145. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ Armstrong, Derek. "Beethoven". AllMovie. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Hicks, Chris (April 8, 1992). "Beethoven". Deseret News. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Beethoven". Variety. April 1992. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Papajohn, George (May 18, 1992). "Veterinarians Growling About 'Beethoven' Film". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Beethoven (1992) - Domestic Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Dutka, Elaine (April 7, 1992). "Weekend Box Office: 'White Men' Outjumps 'Basic Instinct'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ "1993 Genesis Awards". Humane Society of the United States. Archived from the original on December 3, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "14th Annual Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ "Beethoven". AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "Beethoven Soundtrack". The OST. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
External links
- Beethoven at IMDb
- Beethoven at the TCM Movie Database
- Beethoven at AllMovie