Movie Review - 'Hotel for Dogs' - Get The Big Picture -

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16Jan2009

Movie Review - 'Hotel for Dogs'

Friday, January 16, 2009 at 1:10AM

Hotel for Dogs

Starring Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, and Don Cheadle
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Rated PG

Even I am not cynical to hate a movie that promotes a good quality of life for and the adoption of shelter animals. I've saved a pound puppy, it was the best thing I've ever done, and I'd rather save an anonymous dog than just about any person I've ever met.

The funny thing is, for a kids movie, Hotel for Dogs is otherwise pretty endearing. It's mostly forgettable, sure, even for the kids the filmmakers have in mind, but it's inoffensive and playful, and much to my surprise, I didn't mind it at all.

The mission to create a hotel for dogs happens accidentally, thanks to two human strays, Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin), a brother and sister combo that has bounced from foster home to foster home since their parents died three years ago. We don't know how they died, so make up your own story. I went with "unspeakable mishap with a Jack LaLane Juicer."

Andi and Bruce hate their current foster parents, a rock and roll duo (Kevin Dillion and Lisa Kudrow) that's too busy practicing to take an interest in the young lives around them. The kids' social worker (Don Cheadle) is more involved, but then, he has to be because the kids are always getting into trouble. In fact, point blank: They're criminals. They steal, they trespass, and then they lie about it. That's not the best lesson in the world, even if it is for a good cause.

For three years, Andi and Bruce have kept the family pet a secret. His name is Friday, and he's a curious, intelligent, resourceful Jack Russell Terrier. Thanks to his own whiles and the ingenuity of young Bruce, Friday has his own transport system that he uses to get down the fire escape of their apartment building, and when he sneaks and jumps around the apartment looking for food, Jackie Chan has nothing on him.

One night, on the run from the coppers (again), the kids duck into an abandoned hotel and find two other dogs living there already. The next day they find more strays destined for 72 hours at Animal Control before they're euthanized. The one objection I have to this movie is that it doesn't drive the point home about animals being put to sleep if they aren't adopted. Remember the ending of Bambi? This movie could've used something poignant like that to send a very important message, even to grade school kids.

Soon enough, Andi and Bruce have saved dozens of dogs with the help of new friends from around the neighborhood. And because 11-year-old Bruce is a modern Edison, the hotel is almost self-sufficient. The animals can feed themselves, entertain themselves, exercise, and even the handling over their mountains of waste is automated.

The fun of Hotel for Dogs from an adult perspective is watching the trained animals perform. They're clearly the stars of this movie, and Friday in particular worth the price of admission if you have a soft spot for man's best friend. But there's not much else here, and I suppose there doesn't need to be.

Colin Boyd |

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Reader Comments (2)

Can’t ask for a better FAMILY movie! This movie was made for kids big and small yea sure some of the ideas in this movie are a little far fetched but what kids movie isn’t.

Friday, February 6, 2009 |

Lucy

Me and my little brother are great lover of pets especially dogs thats why we love to watch hotel for dogs movie... this is one of my favorite movies. This movie is superb!!!

Monday, October 26, 2009 |

reggie

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