Beethoven [Blu-ray]

Director: Brian Levant, Michael Gross, Glenn Randall

Overview

Feeling that something is lacking in their lives, the family of suburbanite Charles Grodin adopts a stray St. Bernard puppy. The cute lite beast grows up to be the less-than-cute Beethoven, a sloppy, slobbery, oversized and extremely destructive animal. Beethoven also brings with him a lot of hidden baggage in the form of evil veterinarian Dean Jones, who'll stop at nothing to steal Beethoven for the purposes of his insidious lab experiment. Several sequels followed, beginning with 1993 Beethoven's Second.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/16/2016
UPC:	0025192337031
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	PG
Sound:	[Digital Theater Systems]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00
Sales rank:	23,920

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Charles Grodin	George Newton
Bonnie Hunt	Alice Newton
Dean Jones	Dr. Herman Varnick,Biker Woman
Nicholle Tom	Ryce Newton,Actor
Christopher Castile	Ted Newton
Sarah Rose Karr	Emily Newton
Oliver Platt	Harvey
Stanley Tucci	Vernon
David Duchovny	Brad
Patricia Heaton	Brie
Laurel Cronin	Devonia Peet
Nancy Fish	Miss Grundel
Craig Pinkard	Homeless Man
Robi Davidson	Mark
Sherri Paysinger	Reporter
Patrick LaBrecque	1st Bully
Jacob Kenner	2nd Bully
Matthew Brooks	3rd Bully
Chris Little	Newsreader
Lisa Gerber	Donna
Cory Danziger	Mark's Friend
Colleen O'Hara	Young Woman
Nicolas Mize	Young Man,Actor
Maxine Elliot	Old Woman
Stephanie Massman	Young Woman
Cirroc Lofton	1st Skateboarder
Chad Morton	2nd Skateboarder
Melora Walters	Pet Shop Owner
Holly Wortell	2nd Nurse
Lorraine Marga	Mother at Pet Store
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	1st Student
Andres McKenzie	2nd Student
Lisa Paige Robinson	Donna
Maxine Elliott Hicks	Old Woman,Old Woman
David Cale	Actor
Steve Jacobs	Actor
Christopher Castle	Actor
Randy Edelman	Composer

Technical Credits

John Hughes

Amy Holden Jones

Gary Ross

John Hughes	Screenwriter
Amy Holden Jones	Screenwriter
Michael C. Gross	Producer
Joe Medjuck	Producer
Ivan Reitman	Executive Producer,Producer
Gordon A. Webb	Producer
Christopher S. Aud	Sound Effects
Harry Cheney	Sound Effects
Gary Ross	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Don't be confused by the numerous sequels; Brian Levant's Beethoven is no classic. In fact, its only classic element is the classical composer referenced in the title. Otherwise, Beethoven is just a collection of cornball moments and clichéd scenes from other family movies in which a cute kid begs "Can I keep him, Dad? Can I?" As the paterfamilias du jour, Charles Grodin seems to have been hired solely for his ability to contort his face into exaggerated shock and frustration. The fact that the titular dog is Dennis the Menace to his Mr. Wilson gets old after about a scene and a half. Playing his wife, the terrific comic actor Bonnie Hunt seems embarrassed to be involved with such obvious humor and reheated conventions. Those who should really be embarrassed are screenwriters John Hughes (under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes) and Amy Holden Jones. When they're not dwelling in the obvious, they're trafficking in the preposterous. The primary dramatic conflict involves a malevolent veterinarian (Dean Jones), who wants to steal Beethoven so he can use him for black market animal testing. See, the vet wants Beethoven for his "large skull," so he can determine the splatter capacity (not in so many words) of a certain type of handgun. Besides the fact that this is way too dark for children, it's absurd that the villain would fixate on this one dog, since there should be many available avenues for acquiring test subjects that don't involve stealing them from nuclear families. Beethoven's greatest curiosity may be its early appearances by future stars: David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton as insufferable businesspeople, and Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt as bumbling henchmen. Having been instructed by Levant to chew the scenery, they must have been truly relieved when they were cast in their next roles.