This really is one of those duh! titles about what it is about, and it was so obviously a film made for families and dog lovers, it had moderate reviews from critics and sounded like it could be fun, directed by Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid). Basically in Central City, Louisiana, orphans Andi (Aquamarine's Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) have gone from one foster home to another for some time, social worker Bernie Wilkins (Don Cheadle) finds them new foster parents, they are uncaring Lois Scudder (Lisa Kudrow) and her untalented wannabe rock star husband Carl (Kevin Dillon). Andi and Bruce are strictly forbidden from bringing animals into their new home, but they are secretly caring for their adorable Jack Russell Terrier dog named Friday, they were originally willing to risk everything to look after their dog, but they know that he needs a place to stay out of sight. One night while on the run from police officers Andi and Bruce stumble into a huge abandoned hotel across their street and use this as the ideal shelter for their dog, soon enough they are joined by more dogs from the neighbourhood who have escaped the pound. The hotel soon becomes a paradise for the many breeds of stray dogs, and thanks to the ingenious engineering of Bruce there are many gadgets and activated systems to clean up after and feed the canine guests, they have help along the way from new friends from the pet shop, Heather (Doctor Dolittle's Kyla Pratt) and Dave (The Perks of Being a Wallflower's Johnny Simmons). Of course the dogs are not completely safe in the hotel, their barking gets the attention of the neighbours, and the dog catchers do eventually find and capture all the furry friends, but in the end Bernie helps the city see what good Andi and Bruce are doing for the many stray dogs of the city, and the end of the film sees an official Hotel for Dogs in business. Also starring Troy Gentile as Mark and Robinne Lee as Carol Wilkins. Roberts and Austin are likable as the young leading stars helping the dozens of mutts, Cheadle is fine but perhaps odd big star casting, and Kudrow nd Dillon get their moments as the mean and daft foster parents, it is a very simple story of children doing good helping dogs who don't have homes and saving them from the nasty dog catchers, there is a fair amount of slapstick to keep you entertained, and plenty of mischief, it is a fun family comedy. Worth watching!
Review of Hotel for Dogs
