Genre: Comedy/Family
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.hotelfordogsmovie.com/

Opening Day: 19 March 2009

Synopsis:

When dynamic siblings Andi and Bruce find themselves in a foster home with a strict “no pets” policy, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog Friday.  Despite warnings to stay out of trouble from their sympathetic social worker Bernie, the kids stumble upon a derelict hotel and begin transforming it into the perfect home for Friday and all the strays in the city – running the risk of being separated if they’re caught.  In no time, the kids have transformed the old hotel into something truly magical: a home for both the dogs and for themselves. 

Movie Review:

The humans may be the ones who receive top billing in “Hotel for Dogs”, but it is the canines that are the real stars of this sweet, innocently cute family movie. Certainly, there are more species of dogs on display here than you can keep track- Friday, the leader of the pack, is a Jack Russell terrier, and there’s also Georgia the Boston terrier, Cooper the bulldog, Shep the Border Collie...  And would you believe that they are all strays?

But thanks to Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin), a brother and sister in foster care, not only will every dog have its day, it will also have its stay. In making a home for the dogs at an abandoned hotel, Andi and Bruce are also really creating an abode for themselves. Everyone needs a place they can call home- and that’s the positive, affirming message that “Hotel for Dogs” conveys through both its humans and canines alike. Indeed, I’d have to be a Scrooge to say that I wasn’t won over at the end.

Adapted from the popular 1971 children’s book by Lois Duncan, the movie possesses a surprising old-school appeal that is rarely seen in family films today. While most movies of its kind seem to be eager to cater to the hyperactive kids of today, director Thor Freudenthal’s “Hotel for Dogs” plays out like a classic Dickensian tale- its most obvious metaphor being the inedible slop that Andi and Bruce’s latest foster parents feed them- and takes its time to set up its characters and let them grow on you.

Sure enough, though you can probably guess how it’ll all end, you’ll find yourself rooting for the pair of foster kids and hoping that they will find their happy ending soon. Of course, it helps that Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin are both equally charming in their roles. Instead of playing cheaply to the sympathies of their audiences, they give Andi and Bruce a sense of maturity and optimism as the determinedly resourceful kids trying their best to deal with their predicaments.

Quite the opposite however is the adult characters in this movie, portrayed either as clueless or uncaring- with the exception of Bernie, the social worker in charge of Andi and Bruce (played with unexpected warmth and gentleness by Don Cheadle). For what their one-note characters are worth, Kevin Dillon (from HBO’s Entourage) and Lisa Kudrow gamely ham it up as an pair of aspiring, untalented rockers that couldn’t care less for Andi and Bruce, other than the dough it brings in for them as foster parents.

But much as the humans try, “Hotel for Dogs” belongs to the canines in the movie. Each dog manages to convey a distinct character from the other so you can instantly differentiate one from the other. What’s more amazing is how the animal trainers managed to stage the organised chaos on the set that we see on screen. I can only imagine how much effort it must have taken to get 20, 30 or 40 dogs to run to where they are supposed to.

Also adding to the charm of “Hotel for Dogs” in no small part is William Sandell’s production design. Some of the most imaginative scenes are with his (or in the movie, Bruce’s) outlandish inventions- including treadmills for the dogs that come with chewable bones at the front to keep them moving and a gears-and-tracks machine that automatically dispenses food for the dogs at the dinner table.

The difference between a children’s movie and a family movie is whether both kids and adults will enjoy it alike. I’m proud to say that “Hotel for Dogs” is definitely a family movie- indeed, it has something for both young and old. Though like I said, I do have one minor protest- and that is, the pooches certainly deserve recognition in the opening credits.

Movie Rating:



(If the children don’t win you over, the canines certainly will)

Review by Gabriel Chong