Film Review | Beethoven's 2nd (1993)

Revisiting films you loved as a child can be a risky business, and invariably leads down one of two paths: you  are either transported back to your childhood, memories flooding back of watching beloved pieces of cinema on one of four channels on a lazy weekend afternoon, as you rediscover a gem of a bygone era that has aged joyously well; or, you are faced with the reality that the film you watched so many times that the sound and picture wore out on your VHS cassette when you were a child is something that the adult version of you can barely get all the way through. Whilst Beethoven's 2nd, a childhood favourite of mine along with the 1992 original, is not an absolute stinker, it certainly hasn't held up as well as the 10-year-old me would have hoped.

We rejoin the Newton family, parents George and Alice (Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt both returning from the first film) and their two point four children, plus of course the eponymous St. Bernard who is now feeling broody. Beethoven soon finds his sweetheart in Missy, a female St. Bernard (complete with pink bow at all times), and raises a litter of puppies. However, the canine couple are soon separated after Missy is taken from her owner by his spiteful ex-wife Regina (Debi Mazar).

Unfortunately, Beethoven's 2nd is never as enjoyable as the first film. Grodin and Hunt do their best to keep things afloat, but even their collective charm can't counteract the film's shortcomings. Two of the Newton offspring again are given subplots, this time both involving young love, and both failing to impress - Ryce's (Nicholle Tom) relationship with a boy at school begins promisingly, but concludes with one of the film's most ludicrous scenes; meanwhile Ted's (Christopher Castile) failed attempts to woo a classmate of his own because he's too short just come across as lazy and, in all honesty, stupid, with a conclusion lifted almost entirely from Ted's bullying story in the first film.

The problems unfortunately continue with the film's main plot, which feels limp and lacking in any substance, and punctuated by saccharine doggy romance far too often. Debi Mazar is suitably hateable as the poisonous Regina, but seeing Chris Penn reduced to playing her pratfalling, dumb boyfriend Floyd less than two years after his role in Reservoir Dogs is painful every moment he is on screen.

Beethoven's 2nd does have some redeeming features - Sarah Rose Karr is perpetually sweet as the Newtons' youngest Emily, and there are a handful of genuinely entertaining scenes, usually those where Grodin shares screen time with Beethoven (something which sadly happens much less frequently than in the original). But the humour is largely recycled from the first film, and what new ideas there are here are never successful enough. If like me you first saw this as a child, you'll probably still enjoy revisiting the colossal canine's misadventures, but sadly Beethoven's 2nd doesn't hold up well to close scrutiny.

4/10

Film Review | Beethoven (1992)

Having written and directed a host of films throughout the '80s that have since gained everything from mainstream to cult adoration, John Hughes moved into slightly more safe territory in the '90s aiming squarely at the family market. Hughes continued to have considerable success, but seemingly hedged his bets with which of the films he wrote he would actually put his name to. In some cases, such as Home Alone or the 1994 remake of Christmas favourite Miracle On 34th Street, Hughes is clear to see within the credits; in others, Hughes chose the literary-flavoured "Edmond Dantès" as his pseudonym, possibly to protect himself from slightly less surefire hits. Beethoven falls into the second category, and whilst its never classic cinema, Hughes could have safely slapped his name on this and kept his reputation intact.

Beethoven follows the so-named St. Bernard who, after escaping being stolen from a pet shop to be used for illegal animal testing, winds up as the pet of the Newton family led by father George (Charles Grodin), who quickly develops a love-hate relationship with the huge hound.

As far as harmless family entertainment goes, Beethoven fits the bill. Yes, in many ways it goes down the well-trodden path of many that have gone before it - there's a montage to show Beethoven growing from lovable puppy to hulking St. Bernard, complete with puppy pee jokes and dad Grodin getting the rough end of the deal whilst the rest of the family get to pet and play with the new addition - but there's enough here to raise Beethoven securely a notch or two above more forgettable entries into the genre. 

The major component in this is Grodin; the role of harassed middle-class father might not be the most original, but Grodin makes it his own. It's also hard to deny the chemistry that he and his canine co-star share. Many of the laughs, as well as some of the film's more touching moments, happen when Grodin and the dog are on screen together. Add to this some able support from Bonnie Hunt as wife and mother Alice, as well as some early appearances in supporting roles from recognisable names such as Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt and David Duchovny (who hams it up well as a smarmy business associate of George's) and suddenly Beethoven reveals itself as a much more appealing product than it might first appear. 

That said, it's not without its faults. Some aspects are painfully episodic; son Ted's (Christopher Castile) problem with bullies at school feels more like something out of a preachy kids' TV series, and older daughter Ryce's (Nicholle Tom) teenage romance is given far too short shrift to become anything of worth to the film. The brief running time of just under an hour and a half also means that the film's main plot - an immoral vet stealing pets to make money out of animal testing - doesn't quite get the screen time to be fleshed out thoroughly. But it also means that the film never manages to outstay its welcome. Beethoven manages to entertain earnestly and swiftly, something that many more recent entries into the family market cannot manage.

6/10

Film Review | Midnight Run (1988)

Buddy films are a curious pleasure in cinema, situated somewhere between a genre in their own right and a trope of other genres; whatever you consider them to be, if done well they can undoubtedly produce some very satisfying and entertaining results. Finding their roots in duos such as Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello, the 1980s produced several memorable buddy pairings in the Lethal Weapon series, Trading Places and Trains, Planes And Automobiles to name just a handful. Midnight Run is another '80s offering that very often gets overlooked, which is a genuine shame as it's an entry into this quirky quasi-genre which seriously deserves a lot more recognition.

Midnight Run stars Robert De Niro as Jack Walsh, an ex-cop turned bounty hunter who is hired by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) to track down mob accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), known as "The Duke". Believing the job will be straightforward with a large payout, Walsh soon finds the task further complicated by a number of other interested parties, including the FBI, a rival bounty hunter and the mob boss whom The Duke double-crossed.

Midnight Run is a genuine pleasure. The script is slick and witty, with snappy dialogue and a pleasing pace throughout. The opening act gets things going with no fuss or delay, introducing a number of different threads to the story in quick succession. A lesser director would struggle to keep all the plates spinning throughout, maybe even allowing a couple to smash and hope nobody notices, but Martin Brest keeps things moving satisfyingly with things only feeling a little drawn out towards the end of the second act. The way in which he draws everything together in the final act is superb, however, providing the film with an electrically charged, tense and satisfying finale.

The cast are also strong, with excellent support from all involved. Yaphet Kotto's intimidating FBI agent Alonzo Mosely is a particular highlight, as is John Ashton as adversarial bounty hunter Marvin Dorfler. Both leading men put in strong and funny performances: Grodin's whinging, over-particular accountant shows just how strong a comedy talent he is; De Niro is reliably excellent, taking to comedy superbly over a decade before his more well-documented turns in films such as Meet The Parents. De Niro's performance demonstrates just how superb an actor he is; he doesn't tackle the role as a comedian, instead playing the role of Walsh entirely straight and allowing the humour to organically materialise.

It's the pairing of De Niro and Grodin at the film's core which is the key to Midnight Run being a truly great buddy film. The two men play off each other wonderfully, a genuine odd couple who make you smile whenever they share screen time together. What makes them work even better is the fact that neither is just a stock comic character; there's more to both Walsh and The Duke than meets the eye, developing and deepening as the film progresses. They care more and more about each other, and we care more and more about them.

Midnight Run does have its flaws, however. As mentioned previously, the second act is a little too long making the whole thing feel slightly less tight than it could be. There are also a couple of elements which come across as somewhat underdeveloped - one plot thread involving Walsh's ex-wife and daughter feels fairly flimsy in comparison to the rest of the film. But these are small problems which can easily be forgiven. Midnight Run is a delight of a film, and a prime example of how to do both buddy films and action-comedy incredibly well. De Niro and Grodin as Walsh and The Duke genuinely deserve to be recognised as one of the best buddy film pairings of the 1980s, if not one of the best of all time.

8/10