Beverly Hills Chihuahua - 3 barks

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua," a film for anyone who loves animals and loves to laugh, has more to the plot than just cute dogs. It also has some meaningful messages beneath all of that doggie fur: be loyal to your friends and true to yourself. And it's a credit to the filmmakers that we willingly enter the zany world of pampered Beverly Hills pooches, especially that of Chloe, whose signature fragrance is Channel No. 5 and who wears a diamond collar created by Harry Winston. Chloe loves her luxurious life style and is not about to notice the amorous Papi, a stray who has been adopted by Sam, the landscape gardener. When Chloe's devoted owner Vivian goes away on business, Chloe is left in the care of Vi's niece Rachel. Things get complicated when Rachel takes a trip to Mexico and Chloe becomes lost and then dognapped.

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is essentially a romance along the lines of "Lady and the Tramp" although it's also a buddy movie that involves adventure, suspense and humor. Jamie Lee Curtis is effective as Chloe's adoring owner and Piper Perabo engaging as her niece who teams up with Colombian-born actor Manolo Cardona to rescue Chloe. However, the dogs are the real stars of this movie and the great voice cast is headed by Drew Barrymore as Chloe, Andy Garcia as Delgado, the German shepherd who takes the lost Chloe under his paw, George Lopez as the amorous Papi, who is determined to rescue his love, and Placido Domingo as Montezuma, a Chihuahua who educates Chloe on her lineage. The doggie stars do their trainers proud and the special effects team does a spectacular job of making the dogs look natural as they talk, laugh and cry. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is pure light-hearted escapism, and if you love dogs, you'll enjoy this movie even more. 10/3/08