It was only because of the unexpected financial success of the original film about the lovable St. Bernard dog that the makers decided to cash in with a sequel the following year, I knew it had puppies in it so I watched, from director Rod Daniel (Teen Wolf, Home Alone 4). Basically Beethoven the St. Bernard dog has settled nicely living with the Newton family, father George (Charles Grodin), mother Alice (Bonnie Hunt) and the children, teenage daughter Ryce (Nicholle Tom), young son Ted (Christopher Castile) and young daughter Emily (Sarah Rose Karr), he is happy but he longs for something more. Then one day walking in the park he meets female St. Bernard dog Missy, whose owners Regina (Batman Forever's Debi Mazar) and Brillo (Kevin Dunn) are trying to settle a divorce, she wants $50,000 and the dog, Beethoven helps Missy to escape Regina and they fall in love. It is later discovered that Missy has given birth to four puppies fathered by Beethoven, the Newton children find them, Regina also finds out but wants to get rid of them, she is told though that she could sell them off for big money, but the children take them before she can get to them, and the three of them hide and take care of the four puppies in the basement. Eventually George and Alice find out about the four St. Bernard puppies, George reluctantly agrees that they can keep and look after them until they are more mature and can be given away, in the meantime the puppies are given names, Chubby, Dolly, Tchaikovsky, and Moe, and George faces anger and frustration of growing dogs, like before with Beethoven. The Newton family are having financial difficulties, but they are able to get away for a short vacation, being allowed to stay for free in a lake front house owned by one of George's business associates, Beethoven and the puppies are taken as well, and as time goes by the family are united more and more. Regina and her boyfriend Floyd (Reservoir Dogs's Chris Penn) are coincidentally staying near to the Newtons' vacation residence, they go to the county fair where George and Beethoven enter and win the burger eating contest, Missy escapes from the car she is in nearby and is reunited with Beethoven. Regina recognises the children and gets her opportunity to steal the four puppies, a chase ensues and takes all characters into the wilderness, Floyd threatens to drop the puppies into the river, George tries to stop the trouble, but Beethoven charges in and sends him and Regina falling off the cliff into a pool of mud, this breaks and they are swept down the river. In the end, five months later, Brillo visits the Newtons after hearing what happened to them, he explains that the judge for the divorce has given him full custody of Missy, Regina gets nothing, Beethoven and she are happy with George, Alice and the children, and the puppies almost grown up look like they are staying as well. Also starring Ashley Hamilton as Taylor Devereaux, Danny Masterson as Seth, Catherine Reitman as Janie and Mousehunt's Maury Chaykin as Cliff Klamath. This film is essentially a rehash of the first film, only with more dogs and a love story between two St. Bernards, the cute puppies will make the younger audience members smile, Grodin and Hunt are indeed amiable, Mazar is very pantomime villain doing her Cruella De Vil act, and the naughty doggy behaviour will get some chuckles, I agree what slows the film down a bit is the sentimentality, but as an all round family film it is reasonably good fun, not a bad comedy. It was nominated the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Song for Dolly Parton and James Ingram's "The Day I Fall in Love". Worth watching!
Review of Beethoven's 2nd
