Beethoven's Big Break (DVD)

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Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt starred in the first "Beethoven" film in what seemed decades ago in the 1992 original picture. That picture was a box office success that quickly spawned the box office sequel "Beethoven´s 2nd" the year later. The followup grossed a similar dollar amount with $53 million, but Universal decided to continue the franchise via the direct-to-video route and the most recent film is the fifth sequel, "Beethoven´s Big Break." Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt are long gone in their involvement in the series after departing before "Beethoven´s 3rd." However, the producers managed to rope in the familiar faces of Eddie Griffin, Rhea Perlman, Stephen Tobolowsky, *N Sync´s Joey Fantone and one of the stars of "Weekend at Bernie´s," Jonathan Silverman. With a cast of relative unknowns and some familiar celebrities, the "Beethoven" franchise continues on, but is the series now tired?

Some may say that "Beethoven" was tired after the first film. The first sequel was not a very good film and it has been all downhill since then. However, there is a strong draw among children and old ladies in a Saint Bernard that loves to destroy or slobber over everything in its path and while these are event films and relegated to the "Direct-to-DVD" bin, they continue to sell. I loved Eddie Griffin in "Undercover Brother" and have wanted a sequel for years, but the actor has only made headlines for crashing a gorgeous and extremely rare Ferrari Enzo Ferrari car. Tobolowsky has been busy with television´s "Heroes," but the rest of the cast of familiar faces are only minor celebrities. There is not much starpower in the film beyond the fictional dog that is portrayed by a couple dogs since the franchise first debuted. This fifth sequel should stand as evidence that the big dog needs to stay out of show business, but as long as these movies turn a profit, they will continue to be made.

This latest installment finds Beethoven raiding a Pizza shop and getting chased away by an angry owner. He is soon found by young Billy (Moises Arias) and Billy quickly befriends the dog much to the chagrin of his father Eddie (Silverman). Eddie is a dog trainer that works alongside Sal (Tobolowsky), but he is fired when the star canine of director Stanley´s (Griffin) latest film goes missing. It turns out that Sal has had his cronies dognap the star for ransom, but the plan backfires when Beethoven crashes the set and runs around with Patricia´s (Perlman) stool on his back and everybody laughs. Beethoven becomes an instant star and Sal is fired and Eddie is given the job as head dog trainer. Unfortunately, the fame and fortune of Beethoven has the large dog quickly targeted by Sal as the next canine to kidnap. While this all happens, Eddie finds romance with the very pretty Lisa (Jennifer Finnigan). Interestingly, Finnigan and Silverman are now married in real life.

I´m not going to spend a lot of time discussing "Beethoven´s Big Break." It is another cog in the machine of tired franchises that somehow continues to breathe life. There are a few genuinely funny moments involving the big dog, but after sitting through one or two previous entries in the franchise, it is hard to find anything fresh in this film. The acting is decent, but I almost feel sorrowful that Rhea Perlman and Eddie Griffin need to star in this film to earn a paycheck. They are funny people that deserve more than starring in a sixth film about a big dog. This is definitely a case of "Once you seen the one, you´ve seen them all" and I feel that "Beethoven" is now too tired to be enjoyed. Children will likely enjoy the film, but I don´t see too many others finding much value in the further adventures of the slobbering St. Bernard.

Video:

While I did not find the film too worthwhile of praise, some praise must be given for Universal´s decision to release the film with both the 1.78:1 widescreen presentation and the 1.33:1 pan and scan version of the film in one package. You simply flip the disc over to watch the other version of the film. This used to be a far more familiar strategy in years past, but like the chapter insert, it is becoming almost non-existent. The release itself looks decent with average depth of detail and coloring. Skin hues are natural and colors are nicely saturated. Black levels are good, although some detail is lost in the darker moments. The source materials used were clean and you won´t find reel-change ´cigarette burns´ in a direct-to-video release. This movie an easily compete with just about every other direct-to-video release out there in the video department.