Such a frustrating disappointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I do not how the hell one of my all time childhood favourite films is rated 5 but I can tell you this film is one of the greatest family films of all time even watching it again all these years later. Great film about family love, awesomeness and man's best friend. I made an IMDb account just so I could make a review to defend this film as I was shocked to see it had such a low rating when in reality this film is an all time classic. Understanding the bond between man and animal really helps you tie into the emotional connection the family has with the dog.10/10 as a family film / comedy. Will be watching with my kids for sure and you should too.

Beethoven**1/2 (out of 4)87 mins / UCast: Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Dean Jones, Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile, Sarah Rose Karr, Oliver Platt, Stanley Tucci, David Duchovny, Patricia Heaton, Joseph Gordon- LevittDirector: Brian LevantPlot: A family adopt a big St Bernard dog only for it to cause complete havoc for the dad but endless fun for the kids. JJ's Verdict: Beethoven is a warm, big-hearted film for all the family but as a comedy fails to actually hit some funny moments – unless you find a massive dog running round a house and weeing everywhere funny.It centres on a young family led by a grumpy Charles Grodin, which also includes caring mother Bonnie Hunt, and dog-loving children Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile and Sarah Rose Karr. When a small puppy appears in their house unattended, the family decides to adopt it (after some arguing) and name it Beethoven (again, after some arguing.) What they don't realise is that the dog will grow into a huge slobbering St Bernard who will steal everyone's food, wee all over the house and cause depression for Charles Grodin's George Newton. However lovable the dog is, you can't help but despair as the dog runs round causing havoc to people's lives and destroying their home. The dog is completely unrealistic, as it seems more intelligent than any human being. There is however, a nice montage of the dog causing mess to the backdrop of 'Roll Over Beethoven', which uses good camera-work from the dog's perspective. Charles Grodin puts in a fine portrayal of a strained father trying to please his family and the child actors are surprisingly good. Dean Jones, who plays Herman Varnick, an evil vet who wants to kill Beethoven, is a good cast but plays his villainous character very over the top.The constant slapstick humour and violence can be annoying, and the dog just leaves dreadful destruction in its path, but Beethoven is a warm family film with strong themes on looking at the bigger picture and doing the right thing.

20 years after this movie came out and it can still surprise you. I first watched about two or three years ago and I very much liked it. What really surprised me is that even the bad guy, Dr. Varnick, made me laugh. This movie is funny and appropriate for children. It does contain some things that parents might consider inappropriate for children who are very little or who are sensitive. Some material might be frightening, but overall it's a nice movie. It will make you laugh, especially the dog-nappers.The Saint Bernard became the center of attention of the whole family.At the beginning I thought that the family wouldn't accept the dog, but I kept my hopes up. I would recommend this movie to anyone in general.

I was less than six years old when this successful family movie came out, and clearly remember knowing that there was a movie about a dog named Beethoven around this time. I even had the feeling I had seen this film, or at least saw some of it, back in the day, but I guess I was wrong. 1992's "Beethoven", which was followed by "Beethoven's 2nd" in 1993 and several direct-to-video sequels in the 2000's, was only brought back to my attention recently, when I learned that it was co-written by John Hughes, as I have seen a whole bunch of movies from him. When I finally watched this one after nearly two decades, none of it seemed to ring a bell, so I am now convinced I had never seen any of it before. I knew this wouldn't be an amazing film, but maybe it would still be above average to me. However, even that didn't happen.One night, two criminals break into a pet shop, kidnap all the puppies, and take them away in a truck! The puppies soon manage to get out of their cages and escape from the truck while it is in motion, and one of these puppies is a St. Bernard, who hides in a garbage can in a suburban neighbourhood for the rest of the night. Early the following morning, this puppy sneaks into one of the houses in this neighbourhood, which happens to be the house of the Newton family, and this happens while most of the family members are just getting up. The father of this family, George, does not want this St. Bernard puppy to stay here, but his wife, Alice, and children do, so he reluctantly decides to keep the dog until they can find his owner, not realizing that this animal doesn't have one. When Emily, the youngest child in the family, plays a piece by Ludwig van Beethoven, the dog barks along, so it is decided that the dog's name will be Beethoven. Beethoven grows up living with the Newtons, and makes George miserable but the rest of the family happy. Meanwhile, Harvey and Vernon, the two criminals who kidnapped Beethoven from the pet shop, are still on the loose! Herman Varnick, the veterinarian the Newtons take their dog to, is secretly collecting dogs for cruel animal experimentation, and Harvey and Vernon are working as his two henchmen! The main dog in this movie is a cute and lovable mutt, but the human characters generally aren't so outstanding. I especially didn't care much for the irritable father of the Newton family, played by Charles Grodin. He really gets unlikable as he gets so concerned about his business and says some foolish things. Ryce's (the oldest sister) crush on a boy at her school named Mark, and her attempts to get him to notice her (which Beethoven helps her with) are cheesy aspects of the story. It's also not very pleasant watching Ted, the middle son, facing several bullies at school. As a comedy, there are sporadic laughs, with some of the trouble Beethoven causes for George, certain scenes featuring the two kidnappers, Ted thinking he's scaring off the bullies with his fists when it's actually Beethoven scaring them off from behind Ted, etc., but these generally aren't very big laughs, and there aren't enough of them. There are also some completely failed attempts to be funny, such as the "Biker Woman" near the beginning and the part with the irresponsible and annoying babysitter. I also usually found the plot boring, though there certainly are some tense moments towards the end.This early 90's animal movie does have its admirers, but I still can't say I liked it, and since I found it to be so mediocre, I don't intend to watch "Beethoven's 2nd", the theatrically released sequel which came out the year after this first installment in the franchise, and certainly don't intend to watch any of the direct-to-video sequels, either, all of which were made years after the two theatrically released films and were likely just done for money. None of them appear to be popular at all, and I'm sure many fans of this original "Beethoven" movie hate them, or haven't even seen them and don't see any point in doing so. These films are probably a lot like the usually lacklustre direct-to-video sequels to Disney animated features, and I've seen a lot of those. Anyway, this 1992 film that started the franchise and is significantly more popular than all the other installments is probably very entertaining for many kids and their parents, and probably best for that type of audience. Certain others might like it, but that's probably less likely.