Dogs, Dogs and More Dogs

Two adventurous kids, 24 adorable dogs, and one abandoned vintage hotel as an after school playground–‘What’s not to like if you’re a kid!’ “Hotel For Dogs,” is a fun, heartwarming, inventive film, loosely based on the popular children’s book by the author Lois Duncan. It’s a perfect family film for all ages as the dogs are the shining stars in this one.

“Hotel For Dogs” begins on the right paw as we are initially introduced to ‘Friday’ a little white Jack Russell Terrier that has so much personality that at times it’s hard to believe you are not viewing a computer generated canine. Friday tilts his head from side to side on cue at just the right time in many of the scenes and is so convincing you’d think he’s the one that’s taken all the acting lessons.

Friday is the secret dog of Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) who are brother and sister in this tale. They live with self indulged rocker foster parents (Kevin Dillon, ‘Entourage’ andLisa Kudrow, ‘Friends’). Don Cheadle co-stars as the kids’ caring, yet exasperated social service rep that ends up bailing the youngsters out of trouble more times than he’d like to.

It’s not easy keeping a dog a secret as Andi and Bruce run out of ideas on how to maintain Friday at home. When they find an abandoned vintage hotel, their wheels start spinning. Especially those of little brother Bruce, he begins inventing diverse types of activities to keep Friday entertained while the kids are at school. Soon, the duo decides to take in more stray dogs and all the zaniness begins. The dogs visually and literally take over the movie at this point as each has its own story and unique personality.

Hotel 

The ingenuity displayed by Bruce’s character in the film is wonderful as kids are shown that using their brains for problem solving is a worthwhile and resourceful activity. I especially enjoyed these inventive scenes due to the positive message they send to kids about how to spend their time. Bruce’s inventions are fantastic and range from ‘simulated doggie car rides’ to ‘remote control cars’ with fluffy stuffed lambs on top, that imitate sheep herding.

As the norm in doggie flicks, the dreaded scary City Pound with an oversized brute of a dog catcher as its guardian comes into play. The kids are rescuing so many dogs that the dog catchers begin to suspect something is ‘off,’ as their usual daily numbers have dwindled to zero. Although predictable, these resourceful kids have ‘run ins’ with the dog catchers and the scenes are really hysterical.

As stated earlier, the dogs are the stars of the film and it’s truly amazing to view so many dogs in one film that are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing and on cue. One such scene is visually incredible as all 24 dogs are on the front steps leading up to the hotel. The dogs are all sitting quietly, facing forward and spaced apart as in a photograph. –An incredible shot.

Sarah Adamson © 2009