Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)

While on vacation in Mexico, Chloe, a ritzy Beverly Hills chihuahua, finds herself lost and in need of assistance in order to get back home.

Director:

Raja Gosnell

Writers:

Analisa LaBianco (screenplay), Jeffrey Bushell (screenplay) (as Jeff Bushell)

Stars:

Drew Barrymore, George Lopez, Piper Perabo

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piper Perabo	...	Rachel
Manolo Cardona	...	Sam Cortez
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Aunt Viv
José María Yazpik	...	Vasquez
Maury Sterling	...	Rafferty
Jesús Ochoa	...	Officer Ramirez (as Jesus Ochoa)
Eugenio Derbez	...	Store Owner
Omar Leyva	...	Ranger
Naomy Romo	...	Ranger
Ali Hillis	...	Angela
Marguerite Moreau	...	Blair
Nick Zano	...	Bryan
Carmen Vera	...	Inn Keeper Lady
Gina Gallego	...	Shelter Director
Hiram Vilchez	...	Desk Clerk

Storyline

Chloe, a diamond-clad ultra-pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua finds herself being "puppy-sit" by the niece, Rachel, of her owner when she leaves for Europe for one of her fashion shows. Rachel is enjoying her aunt's wealthy home but can't resist a weekend trip to Mexico with her friends. With Chloe in tote, Rachel's partying quickly disgusts Chloe and she decides she will go home herself. Chloe quickly gets lost in Mexico and thrown into a dog-fighting ring where she meets Delgado, an ex police K9 who is there and finds himself between his old enemy Diablo, the drug-lord's dog who ruined his career, and Chloe. After saving her and himself, Delgado agrees to help her get home and they begin their journey across Mexico for Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, Rachel has enlisted the help of her Aunt's gardener and Papi, the gardener's Chihuahua who's crazy about Chloe, to help find and save her. At the same time Diablo's master has learned of Chloe's identity and plans on dog-napping her for a big ...

---

Plot Keywords:

slimehouse | mexico | chihuahua | dog fighting | dog | 

---

Taglines:

50% Warrior. 50% Lover. 100% Chihuahua.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second time director Raja Gosnell and composer Nick Glennie-Smith worked together. Their first collaboration was Gosnell's directorial debut Home Alone 3 (1997) where Glennie-Smith wrote the score. However this time Glennie-Smith is only the orchestra conductor and not the composer. The composer this time is instead Heitor Pereira.

---

Goofs

Tijuana doesn't have a train station. There's no way you could get to all the places they went at the short time they made going there.

---

Quotes

Delgado: [to Chloe] Look, if you're worth something, they'll ransom you, and if they ransom you, they won't fight you, so I guess you're safe.

---

Crazy Credits

"The producers, Walt Disney Company and American Humane Association want every pet to have a loving and permanent home. If you are adopting a pet, be sure you are ready for a lifetime commitment and research your choice carefully."

---

Connections

Featured in Legend of the Chihuahua (2009)

---

Soundtracks

El Coyote
Written by Michael Levine
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

not the calamity people are making out to be, but no blockbuster either

I have been using IMDb to obtain feedback on movies for several years now, and what I find is that people here tend to be a little too bias toward A-list, blockbuster movies. Chihuahua does not fall into that category by any means, but that does not warrant dismissing it outright. It is true that the film's cast could have been put to better use, but given the parameters set by the Disney-style writing, they did what they could and it was enough to let me enjoy their performances. I read a review on here that commented on the inaccuracy of geographical information. I agree that if Disney is going to make a film like this, it is unfortunate that they do not take the time to educate their young audiences a little. We wouldn't be talking doctorate level research here, just basic fact-checking.

The plot of this movie was not deep, but not many Disney movies NEED to be in order to cater to their young audience and family demographic. I am a twenty-something and I am able to tolerate Disney's material, because I accept it for what it is: shallow, vapid entertainment designed to convey squeaky-clean ideals to impressionable youth. Sometimes, they take that squeaky-cleanliness too far, like making light of the dog fights, but overall, it is all rooted in the same objective: to maintain their target demographic and intake revenue.

To the people who reference the different caliber of Disney's entertainment ten or more years ago, I concur with you. It would be good for Disney to trace its roots a bit and return to basics, but it would take a lot of cutting through green to accomplish that.

I enjoyed this movie. There was a comment on the discussion board mentioning that the trailer distorted people's initial impression. I am one of those people. Once I got into the movie though, I applied my usual preconditions for judging Disney films and had a good time. It was cute and in Disney's typical fashion, it contained half-baked attempts to teach the kids a thing or two (inaccurate or vague as they were).

Go into it knowing it's Disney and will thus inherit the characteristics of all their work, and you'll be fine.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

South of the Border

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,300,465, 5 October 2008

Gross USA:

$94,514,402

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$149,292,488

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandeville Films, Smart Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1