Hotel for Dogs (Widescreen Edition)
by Thor Freudenthal
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Actor: Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Johnny Simmons, Lisa KudrowDirector: Thor Freudenthal
Brand: Paramount
Producer: Ewan Leslie
Producer: Ivan Reitman
Producer: Jason Clark
Writer: Jeff Lowell
Writer: Lois Duncan
Writer: Mark McCorkle
Writer: Robert Schooley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
Published: 2009-04-01
DVD Release Date: 2009-04-28
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Hotel for Dogs (Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: Who Let the Dogs In?
Summary: 5 Stars
Andi (Emma Roberts) and her little brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin) are foster kids. Bounced around from home to home, they have always found a way to feed and shelter their dog, Friday. Their foster parents, two self absorbed rocker wannabes (Lois & Carl Scudder played by Lisa Kudrow & Kevin Dillon), wouldn't dream of letting them keep the dog, so they resort to resourceful ways to feed and shelter Friday.
Sometimes the things they do aren't exactly legal, but Bernie (Don Cheadle), their Social Worker, knows that they are good kids. He's working hard to find them a good home, but it is hard to find homes for older kids, and it is hard to find foster parents who won't break up the siblings. They are more than just another file in his over swollen in-box. You can tell he really cares about them.
Andi and Bruce befriend a pet store worker who gets them to take in a few more strays, and then they discover an abandoned hotel with even more strays. The pet store workers (Johnny Simmons & Kyla Pratt) and a kid named Mark (Troy Gentile) all join in to fix up the abandoned hotel for the dogs. Bruce is a mechanical genius, and he creates all manner of crazy contraptions to amuse, feed, and care for the dogs.
Contraptions hurl tennis balls for dogs that like to fetch. Doors rigged with doorbells and knockers are great for dogs that like to bark whenever visitors approach. Treadmills with bones on ropes hovering just beyond the dog's reach get them to exercise. Mechanical sheep keep the herding dogs busy. The feeding contraptions are quite outlandish: dog bowls on a conveyor belt are filled up and then each bowl parks in front of each dog seated at a large dining table.
This scene, as you can imagine, was quite challenging because the dogs would see the food and just leap onto the table. In the film, it looks like they are all quite civilized; but you know from the bonus material that there were tons of dog trainers all just out of the camera shot shouting commands at their respective canines. Madness, sheer madness. The sound had to all be dubbed in later, and so much kudos go to the Foley artists and sound designers.
All goes well at the Hotel for Dogs until the machines malfunction just before dinner time. Dog anarchy breaks out, and the barks, the howls, and the chaos alert the dog catchers (Ajay Naidu & others) to their location. The jig is up. Will they ever break out of dog jail? Stay tuned.
This movie nabs you from the start with an opening sequence seen from behind the eyes (and nose) of Friday. This masterfully done cinematic sequence simulates Friday's acute dog senses that lead him to his target: a juicy hot dog.
Cosmo and two other dogs (his stunt and photo doubles) portray Friday, and they are all quite accomplished canine thespians. Friday says so much with just his eyes. One look from them is worth a thousand words. His barks, though non verbal, also speak volumes. One of the dogs on Team Friday is most often seen from behind, because he is such an enthusiastic tail wagger. Cosmo was a rescue dog, and not four months before filming was languishing in the pound, his immense talent untapped and unappreciated.
The dogs all have distinct and likeable personalities. Lenny, a Bullmastiff, is a loveable lug who howls if he can't look out the window. Georgia is a Boston Terrier, the sort of dog Betty Boop would own. Cooper, an English Bulldog, has a marvelously ugly face and chews up everything that is not nailed down, so Bruce makes him a vending machine that dispenses old shoes. Shep is a Border Collie with a strong instinct to herd. At one point he circles Andi and Dave, the pet store worker, shepherding them closer together like some kind of crazy canine cupid. Romeo is a Chinese Crested Dog -- kind of a Chihuahua on a very bad hair day -- and he makes a very unlikely Romeo for Juliet, a beautiful white Poodle. Soon though Romeo has won us and his Juliet over with his irresistible personality, his charm and his unorthodox beauty.
Nearly 70 dogs were used for the making of this film, many of which were actually rescued from the pound. Several of them were adopted by crew members after filming wrapped.
With a title like "Hotel for Dogs," the story practically writes itself. Lois Duncan, who wrote the book, was very pleased with the resulting film -- unlike what happened with her "I Know What You Did Last Summer," intended as a young adult mystery but filmed as a slasher flick. Though "Hotel for Dogs" was renovated, she felt it remained true to her story's spirit. She likes what they've done with the place.
And what's not to like? You've got cute kids, cute dogs, and an abandoned hotel filled with cute Rube Goldberg gadgets. The stray dogs, the foster kids, and even the abandoned hotel, they are all orphans -- neglected but with so much to offer, if one would only take the time. "Hotel for Dogs" also has a lot to offer. Please don't neglect it. Unless you really hate dogs, children, and well made films, you will enjoy it.
Nancy Drew (2007) .... Emma Roberts was Nancy Drew
Blow (Infinifilm Edition) (2001) .... Emma Roberts was Young Kristina Jung
Hotel Rwanda (2004) .... Don Cheadle was Paul Rusesabagina
Boogie Nights (1997) .... Don Cheadle was Buck Swope
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006) .... Troy Gentile was Lil' JB
Nacho Libre (Special Collector's Edition) (2006) .... Troy Gentile was Young Nacho
Wonderland (2003) .... Lisa Kudrow was Sharon Holmes
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) .... Lisa Kudrow was Michele Weinberger
The Doors (Special Edition) (1991) .... Kevin Dillon was John Densmore
Platoon (1986) .... Kevin Dillon was Bunny
Description of Hotel for Dogs (Widescreen Edition)
Hotel For Dogs is a funny, heartwarming and inspiring animal adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When 16-year old, Andi (Roberts), and her younger brother Bruce (Austin) find themselves in a foster home with a strict ?no pets? policy, they must use their quick wit to find a new home for their dog, Friday. When they stumble into an abandoned hotel, they realize they can transform it into the perfect place for Friday- as well as all the strays in the city. What began as a crusade to save one dog becomes a high stakes adventure as everyone around them starts to wonder- who let the dogs in?Bestsellers in DVD
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