Grade: B-
Kids love movies about dogs and movies about kids who show spunk and independence, and this one gives them both. And the fact that “Hotel for Dogs,” based on the book by Lois Duncan, carries a nice message about caring for orphans, both of the canine and the human variety, is an added bonus that parents will appreciate. Cute and rambunctious and not a little old-fashioned—it’s like an old Disney live-action comedy from the 1960s, but with better effects—it should prove as attractive to the family crowd as “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” was. And happily it avoids the “realism” (and morbid quality) that afflict the unaccountably popular “Marley and Me.”
Teen Andi (Emma Roberts) and young Bruce (Jake T. Austin) are siblings living in a mid-town apartment with buffoonish foster-parents Lois and Carl (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon), overage rockers with zero potential but massive egos who take in kids just to get state payments. Andi and Bruce use their skill at deception and Bruce’s talent for constructing complicated machines from scrap to conceal the fact that they’re continuing to house their lovable dog Friday, obviously important as a link to their life with their real parents. Unfortunately, the lengths they go to in order to keep the pooch safe and fed frequently get them into trouble with the authorities, to the distress of kind, concerned social worker Bernie (Don Cheadle), who works overtime trying to find a permanent home for the kids where they can remain together.
By accident one night Andi, Bruce and Friday find themselves in a deserted hotel where a couple of stray mutts have taken refuge. They add Friday to the pack, and before long a whole bunch of additional dogs—many rescued from the city pound where, if left unclaimed, they’ll be euthanized—are in illegal residence. Bruce concocts all sorts of clever devices to keep them amused (and to take care of their leavings, a matter that fortunately isn’t overstated) and before long the duo gets help from three more youngsters—Dave (Johnny Simmons), a pet shop clerk who takes a shine to Andi; Heather, his co-worker; and Mark (Troy Gentile), a neighborhood kid who quickly shows an interest in Heather. But inevitably their arrangement goes awry, the dogs are rounded up, and a military-style rescue operation has to be mounted. Happily everything turns out well, not only for the canines but for Andi and Bruce, too, whose future adoptive parents have been telegraphed from reel one.
As mounted by production designer William Sandell, art director Brad Ricker, and set designers and decorator Bruce Hill, Joshua Lusby and Robert Gould, “Hotel for Dogs” is a candy-colored concoction with a look that emphasizes the fantasy character director Thor Freudenthal is anxious to create. For the most part the approach works (though John Debney’s score sounds too much like John Williams on speed—just imagine the “Home Alone” uplift taken up several notches), and the visual effects team and what must have been a small army of animal trainers do wonders in making the many sequences involving the dogs not only realistic-looking but beautifully coordinated.
But though the canines are great scene-stealers, the humans don’t fare badly either. Roberts is far more engaging this time than she was in the clumsy Nancy Drew movie, and she’s nicely teamed both with Austin, who brings a nice sense of vulnerability to her brother, and the affable Simmons, who gives his relationship with her a touch of genuine sweetness. Pratt and Gentile could have become obnoxious as the more aggressive players in the “gang,” but Freudenthal wisely limits their screen-time to avoid overuse. And among the others, Cheadle brings an easygoing integrity to a role that could have been sappy and Robinne Lee is equally good as his wife. They balance the foster-parents-for-pay turns by Kudrow and Dillon, who manage to keep their hamminess mostly in check in roles only slightly less villainous than the malevolent dog-catchers.
“Hotel for Dogs” is no instant classic, but like “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” it’s a pleasant dollop of cinematic doggie drool that should win over both kids and their parents—at least if the waves of “aw’s” that swept over the preview audience with every cute puppy shot are any indication.