Beethoven (1992)

A slobbering St Bernard dog becomes the center of attention for a loving family but its vet secretly wants to kill him.

Director:

Brian Levant

Writers:

John Hughes, Amy Holden Jones

Stars:

Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Dean Jones

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Grodin	...	George Newton
Bonnie Hunt	...	Alice Newton
Dean Jones	...	Herman Varnick, D.V.M.
Oliver Platt	...	Harvey
Stanley Tucci	...	Vernon
Nicholle Tom	...	Ryce Newton
Christopher Castile	...	Ted Newton
Sarah Rose Karr	...	Emily Newton
David Duchovny	...	Brad
Patricia Heaton	...	Brie
Robi Davidson	...	Mark
Laurel Cronin	...	Devonia Pest
O-Lan Jones	...	Biker Woman
Nancy Fish	...	Miss Grundel
Craig Pinkard	...	Homeless Man

Storyline

The Newton family live in their comfortable home, but there seems to something missing. This "hole" is filled by a small puppy, who walks into their home and their lives. Beethoven, as he is named, grows into a giant of a dog... a St Bernard. Doctor Varnick, the local vet has a secret and horrible sideline, which requires lots of dogs for experiments. Beethoven is on the bad doctor's list.

---

Plot Keywords:

dog | veterinarian | animal | animal urination | rescue | 

---

Taglines:

He'll grow on you.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Hund namens Beethoven

Filming Locations:

1405 Milan Avenue, South Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$57,114,049 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Northern Lights Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenwriter John Hughes is credited as "Edmond Dantes." The pseudonym is an homage to a character in "The Count of Monte Cristo." This film is one of only a few written by Hughes that takes place outside of the state of Illinois.

---

Goofs

When the dog comes into the kitchen he gives the mail to Alice, and she puts it under her arm. In the next shot, Alice is putting bacon on Ryce's plate and the mail is not under her arm.

---

Quotes

George Newton: My family likes you more than they like me! Why? All you do is drool and shed and eat!

---

Connections

Referenced in Mad About You: Just My Dog (1995)

---

Soundtracks

"Allegro con Brio"
(uncredited)
From "Symphony No. 5"
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

Man's best friend... can really drive you crazy!

I love dogs. I have one myself. Sure, she can be a handful

because taking care of her can be a hassle. I have to feed her,

and house train her. It's a dirty job cleaning up after my dog,

but somebody's gotta do it!

Dogs do not only make good pets, but they can really be good

actors as well. Take "Beethoven" for example. Played by the

lovable Kris, Beethoven the Saint Bernard acts as if he really

has human characteristics, like showing emotions of surprise and

annoyance, too. In fact, Beethoven acts like he IS the master of

his home sometimes, and George Newton (played with playful

despair by Charles Grodin), the big dog's owner, can't tolerate

his mutt's antics. The constant messes like splattering slobber

caused by the dog are the many "pet" peeves that get on George's

nerves so much that he's tempted to put the dog up for adoption,

but his adorable kids won't let him, for they don't want to lose

big Beethoven.

With enough laugh-out-loud jokes to tickle the easily-amused

crowd (mostly kids), "Beethoven" is a sure hit. This movie is

also great for dog owners. Now, usually I don't like family-oriented comedies, but any film that includes cute

canines always attracts me to seem them, no matter how cheesy o