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It's too bad the dogs have so little worth saying. You know those annoyingly cutesy cards and e-mail forwards you get with impossibly adorable animals attached to some sort of encouraging pick-me-up? That's sort of how the entire script reads—lame and endearing but not very sharp. Writing for children is obviously different than writing for adults. The worst grown-up message movies fail specifically because they eschew subtlety for preachiness. Whereas children's films, by necessity, operate on a much more overt level and require that sort of forthrightness.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua's message is one of self-discovery, humility, devotion and tolerance. The film blasts the superficiality of Hollywood without doing anything other than showing its atrocious excesses. "We're not toys or fashion accessories!" one Chihuahua proclaims. You hear that, Paris Hilton?

Manuel (Cheech Marin) and Chico (Paul Rodriguez)

It drives home the point of friendship and loyalty, traits Chloe has never experienced nor truly been called on to provide. In Delgado, her German shepherd protector, Chloe learns for the first time what it means to keep your word and stick with someone even in the worst of times.

Chloe also learns that, though she may be small, even the small are mighty and can play a part in the most ominous of situations. Lost in the desert, Chloe meets a tribe of Chihuahuas amongst some long-lost Aztec ruins, whose leader (voice of Placido Domingo) introduces her to the pride of her Mexican ancestry. He encourages her to find her own voice in the world and be brave enough to use it when the time comes. It is a lesson the tiny but scrappy Papi already knows well. He is not afraid to confront danger 10 times his size to protect those he loves. "I may be small," he tells us, "but I fight for something bigger than us all."

While the action focuses primarily on the adorable mutts, the human actors get their 15 plus minutes of fame. Perabo and Cardona are basically carbon copies of their dogs. She is flighty, irresponsible and self-absorbed. He is selfless, compassionate and chivalrous. Why in the world Papi is attracted to Chloe, or Sam is attracted to Rachel is a mystery. Because the screenwriters needed a romantic angle, that's why. And they needed Chloe and Rachel to face a series of challenges that, emerging on the other side, made them worthy of their men's adoration.

Director Raja Gosnell may not have made a masterpiece, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve audiences' respect. It is one of the oldest maxims in Hollywood: never work with kids or animals. Gosnell (Scooby Doo) must have questioned his decision to helm this film on more occasions than he can count. With more than 200 animals managed by some 60 trainers, Beverly Hills Chihuahua cannot have been an easy film to make.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is pretty mediocre stuff. It lacks any real center, even for a children's movie. It is powered by a catchy soundtrack of Latino-tinged top 40 hits, and borrows piecemeal from everything that's gone before it. While it is always colorful and cute, it's the sort of escapism that is enjoyable only while it lasts—which probably won't be for very long. It's not all that fresh or all that clever, but let's be honest, will your kids care?

In a year light on family films, Beverly Hills Chihuahua may be one of parents' better bets. Full of exciting adventure, admirable messages, and good, clean fun, it just may be a must see for families. But be warned, its bite is worse than its bark!

Talk About It

1. At one point in the film, Chloe's Chihuahua mentor tells her that, "If you look with your heart and not your eyes, we are all the same." How are you ensuring that your kids understand that, "red and yellow, black and white" all children are precious in God's sight?
2. After Papi moves heaven and earth to find her, a humbled Chloe admits, "After the way I treated you, how could you come back for me?" How is Papi's unconditional love a mirror of God's unrelenting affection for his children?

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