Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Who could have expected such a rousing political thriller from such an unassuming title? Especially after the previews. Yet BHC, as I hope it will soon be known, is socially conscious in spades. Nary a scene goes by without some hot-button issue -- immigration, class, animal rights -- earning trenchant, yet hilarious critique. That, and it exhaustively explores the comedic possibilities and limitations of dressing dogs up in people clothes.

I watched BHC with my 12 year old cousin this afternoon at a ritzy Denver mall theater. It was packed and the excitement was palpable even during the previews. Animated and live action features starring the likes of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and the voice talents of Miley Cyrus worked the tots up into a frenzy. They were hanging on every burp joke, and they particular liked physical gags (characters getting kicked in the groin, dogs falling off buildings, etc.).

Two things worth noting:
1. I never realized until today the dicey proposition of including intertitles in your trailer. The audience basically had to read the words out loud in unison to their, as of now, illiterate children. If half of the audience for your movie can't read, should you rely on those kind of transitions ("He'll get more"...scene..."than he bargained for..."...another scene)?
2. Miley Cyrus and John Travolta appeared on screen promoting their new animated movie Bolt, another Disney film. They both claimed that Bolt, "was unlike any other animated movie ever made." Um...in that it stars a scientologist as the voice of a talking dog?

I get BHC's popularity. That's all I can say. I could rant and rave about the schizophrenic plot or the aural assault that was Andy Garcia's voice acting (I'll say this...Garcia made Drew Barrymore's voicework sound like Jim Dale), but it's fast, palatable, and...um...did I already say fast?

I still don't know what to do with the movie, other than explain a few of the film's honestly political concerns. Maybe someone can offer a generous reading of the film. I can project my interest towards something other than pure plot construction but I still want to make the film a brainwashing tool.

1. Animal rights - this went two ways, first from humans to dogs, and second, from dogs to other dogs. The former was probably the most prevalent "message" in the film. Sure, dogs don't NEED special booties to protect their feet or De Zales diamonds dripping off their necks. But...don't they kind of deserve them? All of the homeless dogs find caring human owners, and the film's epilogue ends with text urging viewers to give pets good homes, warning that owning a pet is a lifelong commitment, etc. etc. etc. The chief villains in the film are dog fighters (who all happen to be Mexican), and BHC is really an elaborate rereading of Amorres Perros. Or not. Pets "inspire" their owners, and they teach their human counterparts responsibility. The movie foregrounds that end of the deal, while implicitly adding that pets also mean big money, either as a luxury item or as gambling bait or as a 90 minute Disney movie. No animals were harmed in the making of this film. Yet tons of hapless Mexicans perform Keystone Cop routines running around trying to catch them, in the process wreaking irreparable damage to their dignity (this routine is conspicuously spared Americans, even though all the Americans are rich and spoiled). Thus, the dogs appear to have MORE rights than some humans.

And let's not forget the political awakening of a young, spoiled, female American Chihuahua who gains strength from her Chihuahua brothers and sisters and discovers her own bark. "No Mas," Drew Barrymore cries en masse with other dogs. I must say, by the end of the film, I was joining their chorus.

2. Class - the dog and human plots mirror each other. The female protagonists are white, American, rich, and irresponsible. The male protagonists are brown, Mexican, less well to do, and knowledgeable about life. George Lopez's chihuahua has the hots for Drew Barrymore's, but she's too high class. The human girl engages in rank racial stereotypes in her interaction with the Mexican landscaper, and her assault on the Mexican language in an early scene is cringe inducing. Of course, Drew Barrymore meets poor dogs who are nice and who cleanse her of her hoity-toityness. And the girl falls for the landscaper. There really isn't that big of a difference between the classes, except that one sees fit to put diamonds around a dog's neck and another makes money by letting dogs mutilate other dogs. That is, class difference is directly reflected in the way people treat animals. The more "middle class" landscaper gains inspiration from his dog, and both he and his dog register their social mobility by latching on romantically to their white upper class counterparts. Also, working class Mexicans always end up chasing loose dogs.

3. Ethnicity and Nationality - one of the most intriguing plot cul-de-sacs in the movie concerns a band of Chihuahuas Drew Barrymore's dog encounters in the wilds of Mexico. They save her from a mountain lion then lead her to an ancient temple where they have taken up residence, a sort of Chihuamune. They inform Barrymore about her ancestors, the noble race that is the Chihuahua. They chant "No Mas" to the stars and talk about self-actualization through barking. Barrymore, a spoiled dog who doesn't know anything about Mexico or Spanish, soaks all of their information up like a sponge. This is full-fledged awakened consciousness. She uses her awareness of her heritage to no longer wear booties and bark loudly when the occasion arises. No mas, indeed!
And George Lopez's dog keeps saying things like, "I'm about to go all Mexican on this dog" or "We're MexiCANS not MexiCAN'TS" or "Hey, watch my sub-par sitcom in syndication weekdays at 5 pm." Sadly, I only made up one of those statements.

The movie had an epilogue of course. George Lopez told us what happened to each of the dogs we had come to know and love. The humans were left out. The kids filed out of the theater, leaving piles of popcorn, sourpatch kids, boogers, milk bottles (how I wish I were kidding), soda, and a little piece of their lives behind them. My cousin said she might watch it again. I couldn't really say anything. I think I've watched _Fair Game_ three times. Now there's a movie with an important political message.