A lot of critics didn't like Beethoven, but they must be Scrooges. How can you not love this big, ungainly, lovable beast? At least the movie going public certainly liked him.This St.Bernard puppy escapes from dognappers who take him and others from a pet shop. But even as a puppy he's resourceful and he wonders into a typical suburban home and is made welcome by the family and I mean the kids Christopher Castile, Nicholle Tom, and Sarah Rose Karr. Even their mom Bonnie Hunt kind of takes to him. What's a dad like Charles Grodin to do.But as Beethoven grows older his clumsiness causes a lot trouble. He does have an instinct for sorting out some bad people and dealing with them. The kids get it, the parents don't.Dean Jones is the villain here, a veterinarian who 'kills' his charges but secretly uses them for mad scientist like experimentation. Jones who was the all American hero in so many Disney films in the 60s and 70s looks like he's having a great old time as the Snidely Whiplash of scientists. He's got a pair of mooks for henchmen in Michael Tucci and Oliver Platt. In the old days they'd be played by Allen Jenkins and Edward Brophy.This movie has little kids and a big dog in it. Now only the most hard hearted could resist that.

I do not how the hell one of my all time childhood favourite films is rated 5 but I can tell you this film is one of the greatest family films of all time even watching it again all these years later. Great film about family love, awesomeness and man's best friend. I made an IMDb account just so I could make a review to defend this film as I was shocked to see it had such a low rating when in reality this film is an all time classic. Understanding the bond between man and animal really helps you tie into the emotional connection the family has with the dog.10/10 as a family film / comedy. Will be watching with my kids for sure and you should too.

Classic '90s family comedy that is a little bit cookie-cutter, but too charming to pry too much. The Newtons, an upper-middle class Californian family, take in a stray St. Bernard puppy that escaped kidnapping for cruel experimentation. Conflict involves the gentle-giant dog winning the heart of the family's strict and materialistic father (played terrifically by Grodin), topped with staying a step ahead of the evil vet (played by a clean-cut Dean Jones) who is trying to track down his escaped canine. Platt and Tucci are funny as Jones' henchmen, but their effeminacy doesn't seem fitting—would have worked better if maybe they paid a little more homage to Jasper and Horace Badun from ONE HUNRED AND ONE DALMATIONS. Bonnie Hunt couples great with Grodin, but is perhaps slightly underused. All three children are intolerable. Still enjoyable despite its flaws; its replay value can be attributed to Grodin and Dean's performances, plus the story's pet-is-a-member-of-the-family philosophy.*** (out of four)

This was almost like an old-fashioned type of nice movie "the whole family will enjoy," as the stupid trailers used to always say. They aren't always right about that, but they are with this one.BAD NEWS - The "bad news" was (a) the silly ending, (b) some silly-stupid scenes earlier in which what you saw could never really happen, and (c) the three kids were annoying and bossy at times.GOOD NEWS - The "good news" is, of course, "Beethoven," the lovable Saint Bernard who is a lot of fun to watch, especially with all his facial expressions. Also, it's a very entertaining story and there is absolutely nothing offensive, language-wise, in here.OVERALL - This was popular enough to spawn some sequels, none of which were close in caliber to this one. A good family film worth viewing, but mainly if you like big, lovable dogs.