Hotel for Dogs (D or 1/4 stars)
2 children secretly take-in 9 stray dogs at a vacant house in 'Hotel for Dogs', directed by Thor Freudenthal (there's a name). This is a family film through & through. The kid actors are likeable. The dogs are cute. The plot is ridiculous. And unfortunately, I couldn't wait for it to be over.
When their new foster parents/guardians forbid 16 yr. old Andi (Emma Roberts, Julia's niece) & her younger bro, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), from having a pet, Andi has to use her smarts to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The quick-witted kids happen upon an abandoned hotel & using Bruce's inventive talents, transforms the place into a magical haven for dogs; not just for Friday, but for all his homeless canine buddies.
Trouble arises, of course, when their pesky foster parents (Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon) go searching for them; the police are on the hunt; and some unsympathetic dogcatchers want to gather up their new canine friends for the pound. If collected, the 9 dogs would almost assuredly be put-to-sleep. How long can the kids hide from the authorities? Will they ever feel accepted by their dodgy foster parents? Or will their foster care social worker (Don Cheadle, what are you DOING in this thing!?) find a better home for them?
Not to worry. Everything works out in the end ... of course. After all, this IS a family film. But unlike some of the true great family films, there is very, very, very little to engage the adults. I mean, the comedy is extremely basic (chuckles come & go). The child actors are pleasant, but unchallenged. The adorable dogs perform their tricks/stunts well enough. The gadgets that the Bruce character creates are somewhat fun. And the film's message (adopt pets before they're killed) is reassuring. But that's all this thing offers. And I didn't even like the depiction of police and/or dogcatchers as heartless beings. 'Hotel for Dogs' is serviceable enough for the little ones. But it's a fairly lazy, unoriginal film overall.
When their new foster parents/guardians forbid 16 yr. old Andi (Emma Roberts, Julia's niece) & her younger bro, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), from having a pet, Andi has to use her smarts to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The quick-witted kids happen upon an abandoned hotel & using Bruce's inventive talents, transforms the place into a magical haven for dogs; not just for Friday, but for all his homeless canine buddies.
Trouble arises, of course, when their pesky foster parents (Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon) go searching for them; the police are on the hunt; and some unsympathetic dogcatchers want to gather up their new canine friends for the pound. If collected, the 9 dogs would almost assuredly be put-to-sleep. How long can the kids hide from the authorities? Will they ever feel accepted by their dodgy foster parents? Or will their foster care social worker (Don Cheadle, what are you DOING in this thing!?) find a better home for them?
Not to worry. Everything works out in the end ... of course. After all, this IS a family film. But unlike some of the true great family films, there is very, very, very little to engage the adults. I mean, the comedy is extremely basic (chuckles come & go). The child actors are pleasant, but unchallenged. The adorable dogs perform their tricks/stunts well enough. The gadgets that the Bruce character creates are somewhat fun. And the film's message (adopt pets before they're killed) is reassuring. But that's all this thing offers. And I didn't even like the depiction of police and/or dogcatchers as heartless beings. 'Hotel for Dogs' is serviceable enough for the little ones. But it's a fairly lazy, unoriginal film overall.