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'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'

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BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

October 3, 2008

If you're looking for a nuanced exploration of class, race and immigration, " Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is probably not the movie for you. If, however, you'd like to see these issues touched on in a blithely entertaining way by a cast of talking dogs, this is just the ticket. Your kids will probably love it, too.

A surprise charmer that mixes family-friendly slapstick with shrewd adult humor, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" tells the story of Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), the bootie-clad surrogate child of a cosmetics maven named Vivian ( Jamie Lee Curtis). While housesitting for Vivian, the irresponsible young Rachel (Piper Perabo) takes Chloe on a trip to Mexico, where she's promptly dognapped.

As Rachel searches for the diamond-wearing dog, she's joined by Vivian's Mexican landscaper, Sam (hunky Manolo Cardona) and his trusty Chihuahua, Papi (George Lopez, heavy on the Spanglish). Papi, you see, is madly in love with Chloe, despite her white-girl airs.

The script, by Analisa LaBianco and Jeff Bushell, is covertly clever, a mix of "Legally Blonde," "Roman Holiday," even "Casablanca." In Mexico, Chloe meets a traumatized ex-police dog, Delgado, who has hit the skids. Delgado (wonderfully hammy Andy Garcia) feels his hard-boiled shell crumble when he tries to abandon Chloe: "Don't turn around," he growls to himself. Surely a German shepherd has never cut such a romantic figure.

It's no spoiler to say Chloe returns home with a new sense of ethnic pride. The fun is in the journey, which teaches the yippy Chloe to "find your bark."

(PG)

PLOT A pampered pet embarks on misadventures in Mexico.

CAST Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis

LENGTH 1:25

PLAYING AT Area theaters

BOTTOM LINE As talking-dog movies go, this one is a treat, with some unexpected charm and a message of ethnic pride.