Review – Beverly Hills Chihuahua

The title alone tells you most of what you need to know about this: a wealthy woman’s pampered pet (voiced by Drew Barrymore) gets kidnapped and dragged off to Mexico, where she has various adventures with lower class dogs while trying to make her way home. Bad comedy and creepy talking animal effects aside, this is an unintentionally interesting exploration of racism. Though the picture tries to say something about American class structures and anti-Hispanic discrimination, it exploits so many uncomfortable stereotypes that it seems to miss the very point it’s trying to make. Multiculturalism doesn’t have to be all serious business, but it should at least be less empty headed than this. Still, at least its wee doggie heart was in the right place. Mildly amusing