Beverly Hills Chihuahua — putting the wuuuh? in Chihuahua

Staff Writer: Brita Thompson

If you’ve seen the previews to this film, wherein thousands upon thousands of dancing and singing CGI Chihuahuas swarm over an Aztec pyramid, you’re probably looking forward to this film being an immensely expensive mess. To its credit, Beverly Hills Chihuahua had its moments that were surprisingly funny in a self-deprecating way. Part of the shtick is that Beverly Hills Chihuahua knows that it’s a ridiculous movie about talking Chihuahuas. But the film can’t make up its mind about being serious or not and so becomes a jumbled attempt at cultural awareness and Mexican pride in a horrible, cartoony, ‘Disney-fied’ way.
 

The story features Chloe, a white-coated, bootie-wearing Beverly Hills Chihuahua (voiced by Drew Barrymore) who lives through many wealthy white American’s worst fears – Mexican Kidnapping for ransom. In Chloe’s case the kidnappers are men from an underground dog-fighting ring who realize that her Harry Winston diamond dog collar might mean she’s worth something.

Ultimately Chloe is smuggled back into America’s safe luxury by friends both canine and human, but not without struggling through some genuinely scary scenarios. In one scene she spends the night homeless and alone under a park bench in downtown Mexico City. In another shocking scene she is smuggled onto a cargo train headed to Juarez with help from a coyote-guide (who in this film is an actual talking coyote). Hopefully this scene raises questions for kids about Mexican-American border relations: “Why are the nice doggy and her puppies sneaking into America, mommy?” I commend Disney for attempting topicality. 

Eventually Chloe is rescued by her Landscaper’s Chihuahua, Papi (voiced by George Lopez) who, when not singing his love for Chloe, his “Corazon”, shouts in exclamation: “Hold your tacos!”, “I’m going to beat you like a piñata!” and an audience favorite: “We’re mexi-CAN, not mexi-CAN’T!” 

“Disney-fied” glossing over of real-life social dilemma, as seen in the coyote scene and the wince-worthy lines, like those shouted by George Lopez are to be expected with a title like Beverly Hills Chihuahua. In one of the worst examples of racial insensitivity we see Chloe’s owner, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, standing in her garden in front of her tall, hunky and very Caucasian-looking landscaper. The landscaper proclaims in a thick Latin accent, “Thank you for allowing me to better myself”. 

On the other hand, when Chloe stumbles upon a (spoiler alert!) self-sufficient utopian Chihuahua society living among the Aztec ruins, the sage long-haired Chihuahua Montezuma teaches her a lesson in self-respect. The wild Chihuahuas rally on their pyramid where they shout “No mas!” to the disrespect humans have shown their race. “We were not meant to wear silly hats!” Montezuma declares to great Chihuahua applause, “We shake because we know the power of our own inner strength!” 

In the end, like every Disney movie, the film wraps up in a frighteningly squeaky clean fashion. Everyone leaves the theater smiling, because ultimately the film is nothing more than a love story between Chihuahuas with animated faces from very different places.