Beethoven

"Beethoven" is a generally innocuous comedy about a rigid suburban household that is turned upside-down by the presence of a St. Bernard who grows from cute puppy to house-destroying monster in the film's early scenes.

Charles Grodin is hilarious as the long-suffering father, who likes to live his life on a schedule, and suddenly finds a slobbering dog with muddy feet urinating in his briefcase. (The dog urinating where he shouldn't is a running gag — gag being the operative word.)

The first half of the film is amusing, but when it turns to a distasteful subplot that has an evil veterinarian/scientist (Dean Jones, in his second villainous role in a row, after "Other People's Money") stealing pets for nasty experiments, it goes sour. At one point he even holds a handgun to a dog's head!

Too bad; the first half brings to mind the best elements of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," with its delightful portrayal of domestic bliss gone awry. But the second half is more like a failed kiddie version of a TV crime drama. And the film never quite recovers.

"Beethoven" is rated PG (violence, vulgarity).