Beethoven's 5th

Odd, I really didn't mind this, as so many people seem to have. It was no great shakes, certainly, but it was perfectly pleasant viewing. Daveigh Chase, as usual, was promising, and the plot was perfectly usable. Not a classic, but not some 0/10 shocker, not to the target audience.

Your average 6 or 7 year old will like this. And that's what matters, surely? I think some of the people commenting on this have managed to confuse themselves as to the purpose of the film. So...yeah...just stop it.

6/10

This is an unfortunate combination of G-rated, wannabe "Scooby-Doo" and, perhaps, wannabe Disney.

It's not the fault of the cast: goodness knows, between the dog and ALL the cameo appearances by people you know from TV who form the central 'character pool', and the 'quaint' town/landscape, it's ALL so wonderful. Indeed, should have been so.

And that's the catch. There is a complete lack of real or perceived threat. Imagine "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" without the bears. Think about "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" without the Evil Queen. Contemplate "Scooby-Doo" without ANY frisson of fear...

I know that 'B5' is just one more in a sequence of sequels - but surely SOMEONE could have put some 'oomph' into the script?

The occasional (jokey) reference to "Scooby-Doo" doesn't work at all. And Beethoven's legendary "eve-of-destruction" behaviour is as muted as the rest of this stinker. He just burps for goodness sake. Doesn't even fart!

I can't believe they are still making these films. In my opinion, they should have quit while they were ahead, after about the second or third film. But FIVE? Hardly any filmmakers make five installments unless they are incredibly stupid.

Sara (Daveigh Chase) has been bratty lately and got kicked out of summer camp. Thus, she and her big St. Bernard, Beethoven, are sent to Quicksilver, a small town. Uncle Freddy (Dave Thomas) is glad to have her but Sara thinks he is weird and his ideas for meals just awful. But, pretty soon, with the help of a new friend Garrett, she is enjoying the spirit of the small community. The best part is that, on a walk at night with her uncle, Beethoven finds an old $100 bill that may be part of a long ago bank robbery. The mayor (John Laroquette) is extremely excited at this discovery but the town's librarian (Tom Poston) is not happy at all. Why not, one asks? It's complicated. Also, the town's boutique owner (Kathy Griffin) is not liking Sara too much, either, as her little dog gets out of hand when Beethoven is near. Can Sara, Uncle Freddy and Garrett find the old money stash and get rich? This darling continuation of the Beethoven series has a new venue away from Suburbia and it is a good change of pace. Also, the cast is really wonderful, with the above mentioned and also Faith Ford as the town's sheriff and Katherine Helmond as an eccentric neighbor. Families will enjoy a Fifth of Beethoven!

I used to watch the hell out of this when I would be stuck inside, or home sick when I was really really young, and I thought that it was truly the best movie of all time. I wanted to relive my childhood and started watching it when I found the old DVD and I had to turn it off after five minutes. Really makes me wish I could have just remembered it as good instead of trying to relive it.