Although rather less elevated than some of the previous Beethoven movies, I did appreciate the rather transparent themes of the film. It was impeccable that no part of the plot was left to imagination or surprise. After all, the fourth title of the series has quite a lot to live up to. I must however, be quite honest and admit that when Mrs. Newton stood in front of a mirror in one of the opening scenes in an outfit of mustard yellow, and said to Mr. Newton, "It makes me look fat! doesn't it?" I sided with her rather than her husband. She did look a bit like an overstuffed Twinkie. Imagine my sheer joy when Beethoven slobbered all over it, proving once again, that he is an irascible central character to the plot, with obviously, finer taste than many viewers would give him credit for.
I rather appreciated that every nuance of the film was explained very plainly, or over-explained, as it gave the viewer time to possibly catch a brief nap and still be fully informed upon awakening. As I said, it was very possible, without being clairvoyant, to guess that when Beethoven, the rather "ill-mannered," or "working class," dog, was shown juxtaposed against Michelangelo, the "well-groomed," and "civilized," dog (who, by the way, lived in a mansion and wiped his paws on doormats), somehow, the two would end up switching places, with amusing mayhem as the consequence!
I was especially intrigued when Mrs. Newton, in a subtle bit of foreshadowing, exclaimed, believably, as I saw it, "There's no house in the world big enough for that dog!(in reference to Beethoven)" I also appreciated the fact, that the next shot portrayed Michelangelo sitting in his king-size bed in that giant mansion of his. It didn't keep me guessing, but yet, assured me that said mayhem would ensue. The only thing I truly pondered was the method of the switch. Unbelievably, it was during a scene where Beethoven chased a cart of hot dogs down a sidewalk in a park, while simultaneously, an attempt was made to kidnap Michelangelo in the same park that the two were mixed up.
The said plot gave the Newtons time to finally relax a little, with a well-behaved dog around. Unfortunately, the other family, The Sedgwicks (and in this case, "Sedgwick" is not the name of a wealthy household's butler, but the name of the couple themselves)find that Beethoven's antics, in fact, rid the household of it's overly-stuffy atmosphere, and bring the family closer together. Unfortunately, Michelangelo's good behavior is almost too unnerving for Beethoven's real owners, though the children think this is because of the fact that they've secretly enrolled Beethoven in obedience training classes. Luckily the two dogs are switched back during Beethoven's graduation ceremony, which must have been quite a task to film.
The whole class of dogs have red graduation caps on, and it's quite an affair. "Everlasting," is the word Mrs. Newton herself would use, I'm sure, if she were to describe it. However, Beethoven foils Michelangelo's would-be kidnappers in the end, recovering $250,000 for the grateful Sedgwicks, though wreaking havoc on the carefully contrived dog graduation. The two are switched back without the knowledge of the owners, who in the end, pull their cars up to the same stop sign at the same time, in one final shot.
Though the movie seems fairly cut and dry, I wanted, for a moment to review the themes. If you happen to be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams, remember that money cannot buy you the closeness of family. Alternatively remember that sometimes a neat and tidy house is less important than the love and nurturing of pets, however large and cumbersome they might be. I happily give this film two stars out of ten, although I am uncertain whether I will watch, "Beethoven's 5th" anytime soon. I'd say that that particular film is probably on the same priority list as, "Home Alone 3," or as a friend of mine would call it, "Some Kid Somewhere Snowy Does The Same Thing All Over Again." Thank you so much for reading.
