Beethoven (film)
 |
| Beethoven | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Brian Levant |
| Written by | John Hughes Amy Holden Jones |
| Produced by | Joe Medjuck Michael C. Gross |
| Starring | Charles Grodin Bonnie Hunt Dean Jones |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | April 30, 1992 (USA) |
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Language | English |
Beethoven is a 1992 American family film, directed by Brian Levant and starring Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt. The film is the first in Beethoven film series.
It was written by John Hughes (under the pseudonym Edmond Dantès) and Amy Holden Jones. The story centers on a St. Bernard dog named after the composer Ludwig van Beethoven owned by the Newton family' and co-stars Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile, Sarah Rose Karr, Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, and Dean Jones.
Plot
When the film opens, a St. Bernard puppy (later named Beethoven) and some other dogs are stolen from a pet shop by two thieves. Beethoven manages to escape from the thieves and ends up sneaking into the home of the Newton family. The father, George, doesn't want the responsibility of owning a dog, but his wife, Alice, and children talk him into keeping him. While trying to name the dog, the youngest daughter, Emily, plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the puppy barks along, thus he is named Beethoven.
Initially, George only focuses on Beethoven's negative aspects: scratching the door, shedding on the furniture, dining off the kitchen counter, and otherwise chewing the house apart. However, the rest of family grows more attached to Beethoven, who helps the children overcome their problems in various ways, such as frightening off the bullies that are bothering Ted, helping the eldest girl, Ryce, talk to her crush, and saving Emily when she falls in their babysitter's swimming pool.
The family takes Beethoven to a local veterinarian, Herman Varnick, for a routine medical examination and immunizations. The family is unaware that Varnick is involved in unethical and deadly animal experimentation and hired the two thieves, Harvey and Vernon, that were seen in the opening sequence. Varnick wants to use Beethoven for an ammunition test and urges the family to leave him overnight at the clinic, but they refuse.
Varnick later visits the Newton home under the guise of doing a follow-up exam on Beethoven. He stages an "attack" by Beethoven on him, claiming that Beethoven bit his arm. Varnick says Beethoven must be euthanized or he will bring legal action. Emily, who saw Varnick hit Beethoven, protests that the attack was fake, but George reluctantly gives Beethoven over to Varnick.
Later, George has a change of heart and the entire family goes to Varnick's office. They discover that Varnick's injuries were faked. They demand that Beethoven be returned but Varnick claims that the dog has already been killed. The family decide to wait in their car and follow Varnick to his secret facility. While Alice calls the police, George crashes through the facility skylight while Ted drives the family car through the wall, all to save Beethoven and the other dogs being used by Varnick in his experiments. Varnick is injured by chemical syringes and later arrested and indicted. His two nutty sidekicks run from a large pack of dogs and as they try to escape they become a "meal" for 3 mean guard dogs in a junkyard.
The film ends with George and Alice saying goodnight to all the dogs they brought home from Varnick's facility.
Cast
- Charles Grodin as George Newton
- Bonnie Hunt as Alice Newton
- Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton
- Christopher Castile as Ted Newton
- Sarah Rose Karr as Emily Newton
- Dean Jones as Dr. Herman Varnick
- David Duchovny as Brad
- Patricia Heaton as Brie
- Oliver Platt as Harvey (Dognapper #1)
- Stanley Tucci as Vernon (Dognapper # 2)
Sequels and spinoffs
The film was followed by four sequels. Beethoven's 2nd was released to theaters in 1993. The remaining sequels were direct-to-video films: Beethoven's 3rd (2000), Beethoven's 4th (2001) and Beethoven's 5th (2003). An animated TV series was also created around the films that debuted in 1993. Dean Jones voiced the role of George Newton in this series after playing the villain in the film. There is also an upcoming Beethoven film set for release in 2008 called Beethoven's Big Break.
Features
- The Wolf Man (1941)
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) (VG)
External links
| Films |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Television | |||||
| Video Game | |||||
