Hotel for Dogs

Dir: Thor Freudenthal

2009

*

Hotel for Dogs was recommended to me by another fellow film buff during a long conversation that involved alcohol. He suggested that the structure and content of the film was so faultless that the overall production was an example of misunderstood cinematic perfection. I realise now that he was making fun of me, although I had just ridiculed a script he had just written though to be fair. The jokes on him though as it seems Hollywood are quite happy to make an expensive film exploring the trials and tribulations of fostering orphaned children (with Dogs) rather than spend money on a Vampires vs. Genghis Khan action comedy. The idea is a rather weak vehicle and a poor excuse to watch Dogs do human things. I like Dogs but I prefer to watch them do doggy things really, I dislike films of this ilk, especially when you hear of how poorly the animals are often treated. There are a quite a few questionable scenes within Hotel for Dogs that bothered me (how is it okay for a child to commit common assault? Where did they get water and electricity from? Why would a dog want to pretend they were in a car in Malibu?) but to give it much further thought would be taking it all too seriously. It's just another awful kid’s film that should be avoided at all costs. If parents really do care about what they let their kids watch then there are some far better choices than this.