Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Jamie Lee Curtis has made a deal with the devil, and that devil is named Disney. Freaky Friday gave her aging career a little jolt. However, Beverly Hills Chihuahua doesn't show off the former scream queen's comedic talents -- because it's not really that funny.

Thankfully, for Curtis, she doesn't have a lot of screen time in this flick. It's all about the dogs -- the talking dogs. Beverly Hills Chihuahua is another one of those films that grants the powers of speech to our four-legged friends, all the way down to the creepiness of having their lips move. We know dogs can't talk; is it more convincing if their lips move?

Dog lips aside, the movie centers around Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), the pampered pooch of Viv (Curtis). In fact, she lives a better life than most of you reading this. That is until Viv's niece, Rachael (Piper Perabo), is put in charge for five minutes and heads off to Mexico. Soon after, Chloe is on the loose, and thrust into dog fighting, as well as a cross-country journey to get back home.

The target audience seems to be little girls that appreciate dressing up little dogs in Barbie clothes and a good "talk to the paw" joke. How large of a group can that possibly be? Of course, we expect a film with talking animals to be riddled with ridiculous situations and cutesy cliches. Mission accomplished. It's just too bad because the cast, which includes the vocal talents of Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Plácido Domingo, Edward James Olmos, and Luis Guzmán, deserves better than this (ahem) dog.

The Picture

Disney films seem to dazzle on Blu-ray, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua does not disappoint. Of course, all of the animals look awesome in the 2.35:1 transfer, but there are plenty of other colors and images to marvel, most notably the brief, but bright, Day of the Dead celebration. There's also a lot of detail, from the hairs on every little pooch's head to Chloe's clothes and bling, which stands out as much on-screen as it would on the street.

The Sound

Speaking of cliches, was Beverly Hills Chihuahua pitched to the studio with Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" and George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" as part of the package? No surprises that both overplayed songs are part of an overplayed formula, but they also sound pretty decent on the disc's uncompressed soundtrack. Also, what better testimonial for this film's sound than the reaction of my own mutt, Sparky. The realistic barking had her howling, growling, and overall, sort of freaking out.

The Extras

Many of the disc's special features are far more interesting than the actual movie. However, will the film's target audience care? Probably not. Still, if you plan to blow 35 bucks on the Blu-ray, there are a few featurettes worth noting. First, there is a cute 3-minute animated short, "Legend of the Chihuahua." That is definitely one that will interest kids of all ages. Also, no matter how believable the movie, you have to remember that these are actual dogs, not actors or CGI. For that reason alone, it's worth hanging in for the 13-minute making-of featurette.

Final Thoughts

I'm too sexy for this movie -- and too smart as well. Sure, BHC has a few nifty lessons on the evils of dogfighting and the good of pet adoption, but overall, this mutt doesn't have too many new tricks to share. While the cliché might outweigh the message, the kids won't care. Just close your eyes and dream about the good old days of Benji.

Where to Buy:

• Beverly Hills Chihuahua on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis
• Voice Actors: Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Plácido Domingo, Edward James Olmos, Luis Guzmán
• Director: Raja Gosnell
• Audio/Languages: 5.1 channel Uncompressed PCM (48 kHz/24-bit), Dolby 5.1 (English, French, Spanish)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: PG
• Studio: Walt Disney Studios
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: March 3, 2009
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• List Price: $34.99
• Extras:
  • Legend of the Chihuahua
  • Pet Pals: The Voices Behind the Dogs
  • Hitting Their Bark: On the Set with the Dogs of BHC
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Blooper Scooper
  • Audio Commentary with Director Raja Gosnell
  • BD Live