Beethoven (1992)

A slobbering St. Bernard becomes the center of attention for a loving family, but must contend with a dog-napping veterinarian and his henchmen.

Director:

Brian Levant

Writers:

John Hughes (as Edmond Dantès), 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	...	Dr. Varnick
Nicholle Tom	...	Ryce
Christopher Castile	...	Ted
Sarah Rose Karr	...	Emily
Oliver Platt	...	Harvey
Stanley Tucci	...	Vernon
David Duchovny	...	Brad
Patricia Heaton	...	Brie
Laurel Cronin	...	Devonia Peet
O-Lan Jones	...	Biker Woman
Nancy Fish	...	Miss Grundel
Craig Pinkard	...	Homeless Man
Robi Davidson	...	Mark

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.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | animal | family relationships | dysfunctional family | animal actor | 

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Taglines:

He'll grow on you.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brad and Brie's car is a, 1991 BMW 850i [E31].

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Goofs

When Harvey and Vernon hop the fence into the junkyard and the dobermans come out, a trainer or other crew member can be seen behind the pallets.

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Quotes

George Newton: [chasing Beethoven out of the house] How dare you! How dare you! Are you crazy? Did you think you were gonna get away with it?
[sees Beethoven crawl under the hole he dug back into his kennel]
George Newton: OH! THAT'S how you do it! I'll put a stop to that! You've ruined my life! You've ruined my furniture, you've ruined my clothes! My family likes you more than they like me! Why? All you do is drool and shed and eat! But you're never getting out of there again! Never! Do we understand each other? Do we-?
[...]

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Crazy Credits

As the end credits finish, a short scene plays of Beethoven standing on a rock, silhouetted against a sunset. He barks as the credits end.

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Connections

Referenced in What's Up Doc?: Episode #2.29 (1994)

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Soundtracks

Jimmy Olsen's Blues
Written by The Spindoctors
Performed by The Spindoctors

User Reviews

Great Family Film

If you love funny animal films, you will laugh till you cry at the antics of Beethoven and his human companions. The scene where the children are trying to find a name for the dog is cute and if you like classical music you will appreciate the humor behind how the name is finally derived. I was rather surprised to see Good Guy Dean Jones, star of many Disney films, in his portrayal of the dastardly and evil Vet. I almost did not recognize him with the thick "soda bottle-bottom" glasses, but as always Mr. Jones gave a stellar performance. X-Files star David Duchovney plays the part of a company representative who wants to try to take over the family's business, and only Beethoven sees him and his female partner for what they are and takes them on the ride of their lives (one of the funniest scenes of the film). I generally find sequels are not as good as the first, but in this case the humor of Beethoven's 2nd and Beethoven's 3rd hold true to first and are also worth viewing.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beethoven

Filming Locations:

148 W Lime Ave, Monrovia, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,587,565, 5 April 1992

Gross USA:

$57,114,049

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$147,214,049

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Northern Lights Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1