Beethoven's 2nd (film)

Beethoven's 2nd is a 1993 American family film directed by Rod Daniel, and the It starred Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, and Debi Mazar, and is the second of eight installments in the Beethoven film series. Initially, no sequel was planned, but it was produced after the unexpected financial success of the first film. It is the last entry in the franchise to be released theatrically, as well as the last to feature the original cast.

Plot
In the Newton family home, George, Alice, Ryce, Ted, Emily, and Beethoven are all well adjusted to living together. Beethoven sneaks out and meets Missy, a female St. Bernard, and her owner Brillo. Regina, Brillo's future ex-wife, arrives, takes Missy, and is seeking $50,000 in the settlement. She has retained full custody of Missy and only plans to transfer her to Brillo once the divorce is finalized.

With Beethoven's help, Missy escapes from Regina's condominium, and they fall in love. Meanwhile, Ryce and Ted deal with school and issues with their peers, and Ryce develops strong feelings for her classmate, Taylor Devereaux, after he kisses her.

Ted and Emily become aware of Beethoven constantly sneaking out of the house and follow him, where they discover he and Missy had four puppies in the basement of the building. At the same time, the janitor, Gus, also finds them and informs Regina. She reclaims Missy and plans to get rid of the puppies, even if it means killing them, but Gus points out that pedigree St. Bernards are worth a lot of money and suggests that she sell them.

Thinking Regina plans to drown the puppies, Ted and Emily manage to sneak them past her and take them home. They keep them in the basement so George, who they know would not want to deal with them, will not find them. Realizing they took them, Regina plans revenge. Ryce, Ted, and Emily take it upon themselves to feed and care for them, even getting up in the middle of the night and sneaking out of school to do so.

Eventually, George and Alice discover the puppies; George, angry at first, reluctantly agrees to keep them until they are mature. He re-experiences the ordeals of dealing with growing dogs.

The Newtons are offered a free stay in a lakefront house at the mountains owned by one of George's business associates. Beethoven and the puppies, somewhat calmed down, go along on the vacation. Ryce attends a party with friends where she is exposed to vices of teen culture such as binge drinking and getting locked in Taylor's bedroom against her will. Beethoven destroys the house's patio deck, removing her from potential danger.

Regina and her boyfriend, Floyd, are staying in a location unknown to Brillo, coincidentally near the Newtons' vacation residence. They go to a county fair with the dogs, and the children persuade George to enter a burger eating contest with Beethoven, which they win. By happenstance, Regina and Floyd were there and had left Missy behind in their car.

Missy escapes from the car with Beethoven's help while Regina sneaks behind the children and snatches the puppies' leashes from Ted. Beethoven and Missy run into the mountains, followed by Regina and Floyd. The Newtons follow, eventually catching up. Floyd threatens to drop the puppies in the river below and pokes George in the stomach with a stick, but Beethoven charges into it, ramming it into Floyd's crotch. He loses his balance, Regina grabs his hand, and they fall over the cliff into a pool of mud, which breaks, thus they are swept away by the river.

Five months later, Brillo visits the Newtons with Missy, revealing that the judge in the divorce had granted him full custody of her and denied Regina's claim. The puppies, almost grown up by then, run downstairs to see Missy.

Cast

 * Charles Grodin as George Newton
 * Bonnie Hunt as Alice Newton
 * Nicholle Tom as Ryce Newton
 * Christopher Castile as Ted Newton
 * Sarah Rose Karr as Emily Newton
 * Debi Mazar as Regina
 * Chris Penn as Floyd
 * Ashley Hamilton as Taylor Devereaux
 * Danny Masterson as Seth
 * Catherine Reitman as Janie
 * Maury Chaykin as Cliff Klamath
 * Heather McComb as Michelle
 * Scott Waara as Banker
 * Jeff Corey as Gus
 * Virginia Capers as Linda Anderson
 * Jordan Bond as Jordan
 * Pat Jankiewicz as Arthur Lewis
 * Kevin Dunn as Brillo (additional cast, uncredited)

The film was Danny Masterson's screen debut. His younger brother, Christopher Masterson, also had a small role, but when the producers noticed the resemblance, they removed him.

Production
The film is set in California, but the park scenes were filmed in Montana at Glacier National Park. The house used as the Newton family home is located on Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

Production required more than a hundred smooth- and rough-coated St. Bernard puppies of various ages starting at seven weeks, who were then returned to the breeders. Missy was played by three adult short-haired dogs, and Beethoven was played by two long-haired ones, although only the dog who created the role in the first film is credited; a mechanical dog, a dog's head for specific facial expressions, and a man in a dog suit were also used.

Song
The theme song, "The Day I Fall in Love", performed by James Ingram and Dolly Parton, was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture.

Reception
The film grossed more than $118 million at the box office worldwide.

Critical response
Brian Lowry of Variety wrote that the film "[amounted] to a live-action cartoon" and was "certainly a more pleasing tale" than the first. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it two stars, calling it "no masterpiece" but praising Grodin's work and noting that the dogs carried the film. Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times rated it "just as funny and appealing as 'Beethoven' the first" and also praised Mazar as Regina.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 23%, based on reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 4.55/10. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a grade A.

In other media

 * In 1994 Beethoven: The Ultimate Canine Caper, a side-scrolling video game titled simply Beethoven, but based on the film, was developed for the Sega Genesis and Game Boy. Though completed, it was cancelled before release.
 * Harvey Comics: Beethoven (March 1994)