Beethoven (film)

Beethoven is a 1992 family comedy film, directed by Brian Levant and starring Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt as George and Alice Newton. The film is the first in the series of Beethoven films.

It was written by John Hughes (under the pseudonym Edmond Dantès) and Amy Holden Jones. The story centers on a St. Bernard dog named after the composer Ludwig van Beethoven and owned by the Newton family. Beethovenco-stars Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton, Christopher Castile as Ted Newton, Sarah Rose Karr as Emily Newton, Stanley Tucci as Vernon, Oliver Platt as Harvey, and Dean Jones as Dr. Herman Varnick. It features music composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Principal photography began on May 1, 1991, in Los Angeles, California.

Plot
A group of puppies are stolen from a pet store by two thieves. A St. Bernardescapes and sneaks into the Newtons' home. The workaholic father, George Newton, doesn't want the responsibility of owning a dog, but his wife, Alice, and their children, Ryce, Ted and Emily, convince him. When Emily plays a portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony on the piano, he barks along and they name him Beethoven.

Beethoven helps the children overcome their problems: he helps Ryce talk to her crush, scares off bullies for Ted, and saves Emily's life when she falls in the swimming pool of an irresponsible babysitter. George, jealous of the affection Beethoven receives, feels neglected as the family fawns over the dog. Beethoven's antics ruin a barbecue he is hosting for Brad and Brie, venture capitalists looking to invest in and secretly swindle him out of his car freshenerfirm.

The family takes Beethoven to a veterinarian, Dr. Herman Varnick, for a routine medical examination and immunizations. They are unaware that he is involved in unethical and deadly animal experimentation. He speaks to George and tells him of a supposed mental instability among St. Bernards making them potentially dangerous to humans and advises him to watch Beethoven closely for any sign of viciousness. He actually requires large-skulled dogs such as St. Bernards for an ammunition test.

Dr. Varnick visits the Newton home under the guise of doing a follow-up exam on Beethoven. He puts fake blood on his right arm, hits Beethoven, and calls him, "Big stupid mutt" until he leaps on him. He tells George that Beethoven has to be euthanized or he will press charges. Emily, who saw Dr. Varnick hit him, protests that the attack was fake, but George, fearing for his family's safety, reluctantly takes him to Dr. Varnick's office. It is on the way there that George discovers his own affections for him: he remembers his father had to take their dog to the vet to be euthanized and he never forgave him for it. He fears that his own family will hate him now for taking Beethoven to be put down. When he returns home with the empty leash and collar, his family leaves the dinner table rather than remain with him.

After recognizing the children's sadness and having a conversation with Alice, the family goes to Dr. Varnick's office, but he claims that Beethoven has already been put down despite saying it wouldn't happen until the next day. George then realizes Dr. Varnick lied about being bit when he sees no bite marks in the doctor's arm. When Dr. Varnick refuses to give Beethoven's whereabouts, George punches him before leaving. The family follows Dr. Varnick to his warehouse. Beethoven breaks free but is recaptured by Dr. Varnick's two associates, Harvey and Vernon, while Alice calls the police. George crashes through the skylight just as Dr. Varnick prepares to shoot Beethoven. Before he can, a captive Jack Russell Terrier bites him in the crotch, causing him to fire a shot in the air. During the fight, Ted drives the car into the building, launching numerous syringes into Varnick, sedating him. As the family frees all the captive dogs, they notice Harvey and Vernon trying to escape and send the dogs after them. They escape into a junkyard, only to be attacked by a pack of Dobermansguarding it.

Dr. Varnick, Harvey, and Vernon are arrested for animal abuse. The family is praised as heroes by the news and George takes a new liking to Beethoven. Ryce also gets a phone call from her crush. The family then goes to sleep, saying good night to Beethoven and all of the dogs they rescued, who are all sleeping in the Newtons' bedroom.

Cast

 * Charles Grodin as George Newton
 * Bonnie Hunt as Alice Newton
 * Dean Jones as Dr. Herman Varnick
 * Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton
 * Christopher Castile as Ted Newton
 * Sarah Rose Karr as Emily Newton
 * Oliver Platt as Harvey
 * Stanley Tucci as Vernon
 * David Duchovny as Brad
 * Patricia Heaton as Brie
 * Laurel Cronin as Devonia Peet
 * Nancy Fish as Miss Grundel
 * Robbie Davidson as Mark (Ryce´s Crush)
 * Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Student #1
 * Richard Portnow as Ammo Gun Salesman (uncredited)

Production
The dogs featured in the film were owned and trained by Eleanor Keaton.[3]Beethoven is played by canine actor Chris, age 12.[4]

Critical response
The film received negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 33%, based on reviews from 27 critics, with an average score of 4.7/10.[5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave Beethoven a grade A.[6]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing in his review, "this is not the sort of entertainment I scour the movie pages for, hoping desperately for a new film about a cute dog. Nor did I find anything particularly new in "Beethoven", although I concede that the filmmakers secured an admirable dog for the title role, and that Charles Grodin, who is almost always amusing, has what fun can be had playing the grumpy dad."[7]

Box office
The film grossed $57,114,049 in North America and $90,100,000 in other territories, for a total of $147.2 million worldwide.[8][4][2]

Accolades
In 1993, The Humane Society of the United States nominated Beethoven for Best Feature Film.[9] In 1993, Sarah Rose Karr, Nicholle Tom, and Christopher Castile were nominated for their roles in Beethoven.[10]
 * Genesis Awards
 * Young Artist Awards

Music
The soundtrack to Beethoven was released on December 15, 1992.

Sequels and spin-offs
The film was followed by five sequels and three standalone movies using the Beethoven name and the premise of a St. Bernard but not mentioning previous characters such as the Newton family. Beethoven's 2nd was released to theaters in 1993. The remaining sequels were direct-to-video films: Beethoven's 3rd(2000), Beethoven's 4th (2001), Beethoven's 5th (2003), Beethoven's Big Break(2008), Beethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011), and Beethoven's Treasure Tail(2014). An animated TV series was also created around the films that debuted in 1994. Dean Jones voiced the role of George Newton in this series after playing Dr. Herman Varnick in the film and Nicholle Tom reprised her role, voicing Ryce Newton.