Beethoven's 5th

There comes a point in a film franchise when you just can't make any more sequels. I saw the original "Beethoven" and "Beethoven's 2nd" and enjoyed them as fun family-oriented films, not any great cinematic art. After that I didn't follow the series for years until recently when I saw "Beethoven's 5th" in the bargain bin at WalMart. I bought it just to watch something mildly entertaining, but since it was the fifth in the series I expected it to be pretty bad. I was both right and wrong.

You can tell from many of the comments on here that the preponderance of opinion weighs on the "bad" side of the scale, yet in a quirky way I found this movie entertaining. What was interesting was watching several well-known professional actors such as Tom Poston, Dave Thomas, Faith Ford, John Larroquette, Katherine Helmond, and Kathy Griffin all coming across as if they were amateurs starring in a locally-made production. There was something oddly authentic about it. I also found myself cracking up at some of the comments Dave Thomas kept muttering off-handedly under his breath (kind of like Popeye used to do). While looking for hidden loot Thomas and the kids encounter another treasure hunter who tries to sell Dave a fork he had found ("you just can't have enough good forks"), and Dave mutters something about looking for silverware in the woods after dark. Little asides like that just struck me as funny for some reason.

Chances are many kids will like this. As an adult, I thought the story wasn't all that bad (but I do tend to like stories about mining towns and lost treasure). Yes, it's a sequel that probably shouldn't have been made, especially if you're familiar with the storyline of the originals. Still, I'm glad they made it because, on an evening when I was tired and stressed out and just wanted something funny to watch without a lot of involvement, this movie was just the ticket and was fun for what it is.

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 haven't stopped. This movie gets an F-. I've never seen such horrible actors and actresses in my life! The DOG acted better than the people!! It's clear to me that they whipped this movie up in just a few short weeks. It has no originality and the actors/actresses need A LOT of work. They just aren't good.

Look, i'll admit the 1st beethoven was a great piece of film. filled with suspense, a bad guy, and a father who's between a rock and a hard place. now, over 10 years later, we get a piece of crap about a girl who goes to her uncles place for the worst summer ever. right away, she meets a friend of the opposite sex, a hot female cop, and the crazed guy who thinks the world will be flooded again. sounds like that flipper movie with elijah wood and paul hogan, right? So folks, if you happen to catch this on TV, watch it to see what you think, but i'll tell you it's nothing more than a stupid excuse for a summer movie. If you want movie with all this and more, watch flipper, with elijah wood and paul hogan.

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!