Hotel for Dogs

Based on a 1971 book by Lois Duncan, Hotel for Dogs follows orphaned siblings Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) as they surreptitiously establish a safe haven for their community’s unwanted dogs inside an abandoned hotel – with trouble ensuing as various authority figures inevitably become aware of the pair’s illicit extracurricular activities. It’s clear right from the get-go that Hotel for Dogs has been unapologetically geared towards younger viewers, with the film’s continuing emphasis on elements of a decidedly less-than-subtle nature sure to leave most adults checking their watches every few minutes. The charismatic work of the movie’s two stars is inevitably rendered moot by the almost total absence of character development within Jeff Lowell, Robert Schooley, and Mark McCorkle’s screenplay, and it subsequently becomes increasingly impossible to work up any enthusiasm for Andi and Bruce’s well-meaning exploits. The lack of compelling (or even interesting) protagonists is hardly as problematic as the pervasively juvenile atmosphere that’s been hard-wired into the proceedings, however, with the hopelessly melodramatic plot twists and ongoing instances of physical comedy certainly cementing the movie’s place as a kids-only affair. Don Cheadle’s all-too-brief role as a concerned social worker stands as one of the movie’s few overtly positive attributes, although, to be fair, the shamelessly manipulative (yet admittedly stirring) finale does ensure that Hotel for Dogs ends on a relatively agreeable note (which certainly isn’t enough to compensate for the relentlessly inconsequential nature of virtually everything that precedes it).

** out of ****