Beethoven's 3rd poster & wallpaper

Judge Reinhold, Julia Sweeney, Joe Pichler

The Newton family from the original Beethoven movies are on vacation in Europe but do plan to join a Newton family reunion and to make sure one of their family members definitely makes it, they ship h...( read more  read more... )im to travel to the reunion with George Newton's brother Richard. Guess which family member it was? That's right, Beethoven! The giant mutt follows Richard Newton and his family of a nagging wife and two bratty kids as they hit the road to California in a huge, shiny - and expensive RV, equipped with a DVD player. Following them are two bumbling crooks who have hidden some secret codes on a DVD that they figure no one in the world will buy, but someone does: Richard. So now they've got a DVD holding top secret information and the crooks must get it back...

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33% liked it

71,946 ratings

G, 99 min.

Directed by: David M. Evans

Release Date: July 25, 2000

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DVD Release Date: September 27, 2005

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Stats: 845 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (845)

  • stopitgoaway
    August 8, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    SOME SPOILERS

    Summer sequels are usually bad enough, but when it comes to straight-to-video sequels...? They're even worse.

    "Beethoven's 3rd" does nothing to change that.

    Judge Reinhold, once an actor who actually appeared in theatrical releases, stars as one of the seemingly ...( read more)endless Newton bunches. His brother, once played by the ten-times-better Charles Grodin (who has long since ended his film career and gone on to write books and become a news journalist for CBS), has dropped off the Saint Bernard Beethoven on his brother and his wife (Julia Sweeney) before they go on an RV trip. Aww, what a cruel thing to do. But, in reality, it's just as easy way of getting a sequel put together. Grodin won't come back? Get him a brother and avoid his appearance in the film! For example, at the end of the film, Reinhold is supposed to meet up with his brother, where they are politely informed by some old man that the original Newtons are still in Europe. Most likely for another year. Another YEAR?!?! Boy, how did they jump from a week to a year in Europe? Perhaps the film execs coaxed them into it...

    The thing with "Beethoven's 3rd" is that it doesn't even try to come off witty, or even funny at that. Countless gags just do not work. Take a typical example: the bad guys in the film are a hyper-active caffeine addict and a "Star Wars"-quoting freak, both of whom are supposed to be funny but are not. In one scene they are trying to get into the Newtons' RV to steal a DVD (long story). They run around like children with little black capes on. Before they do so, they equip themselves with night-vision-goggles and a type of spray that blinds people. We hear Baddie 1 say, "Now, whatever you do, do NOT look at light with your goggles on, and do NOT release your spray!" We know exactly what's going to happen next, and sure enough--no surprises here--they look at light and release their gas cannisters. I mean, how *bleeping* obvious can you *bleeping* get?

    The filming style seems like a ten-year-old directed it. A mentally-challenged ten-year-old. In one bit, Reinhold is supposed to be struggling in an RV with Beethoven, and to make it look like the RV is shaking, the director wiggles around a handheld camera, left and right, left and right. That trick is one of the oldest in the book. In the "Cheap Effects" book. What was their budget--two dollars?

    And then, with all of that, the humor is literally non-existent. Instead of being at least AMUSING and SLIGHTLY FUNNY like the original "Beethoven" film (which I like mainly because it is a sweet, good-natured family film), this flick single-handedly rips off every genre and every joke. Ever. At times it's a bad mix between "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "Turner and Hootch," at other times a rip-off of "Star Wars" and "Meet Joe Black." See what I mean by bad combinations?

    And furthermore, this sequel is completely cashing in on the first two flicks. I can put up with certain things in films, but I feel the most cheated when I know that a sequel was slip-shoddly put together to bring in some money and nothing more. That is when I really hate a film. But "Beethoven's 3rd" is still one of the worst films I've seen in a long, long time, regardless of being a cheap sequel.

    The gags aren't there, the wit isn't there, the attaching and likable characters aren't there, the dialogue isn't there. Heck, the entire movie isn't there.

    Followed by an equally-horrible 4th (and 5th?) sequel(s), I'd say this franchise is dead weight. What was once amusing and interesting because of attaching characters and a light-hearted script is now another chip off the ol' sequel-cash-in block.

    Avoid at all costs.
  • Darksome
    May 25, 2009
    Darksome
    Overly dislike animal movies.
  • BiologyBabe2012
    August 25, 2007
    BiologyBabe2012
    I watched the 1st 'Beethoven' when I was still small, and I loved it! Even when I watch it now, I still love it. It's not full of morals, but it has a point to bring home nonetheless. This, not so sure.

    The acting is crap (contrary to popular belief, Judge Reinhold overacts terr...( read more)ibly), and my reaction to this film was similar to that between potassium and bromine - violent.

    Of course, heads up to the animal trainers - the dog, unlike the rest of the cast, does a fantastic job. But I'm afraid not even kids will be entertained for long.
  • AgentLexi2132
    August 12, 2007
    AgentLexi2132
    Was a third instalment necassary, stick with the original not these two cop outs.
  • Eastersausage
    July 3, 2006
    Eastersausage
    how sad, and I used to LIKE Movies like this!? lol, i must have had a horrible childhood.
  • Larissa6000
    April 14, 2009
    Larissa6000
    i didnt even know they had a third! =D
  • regenial
    March 6, 2009
    regenial
    well, the third one =o ehm, yeah, pretty good ;)
  • dnisecai
    February 5, 2009
    dnisecai
    traveling with a dog to crash some things is really frustating for a family with a new house member. but this movie is still good...still with the values a family must possess. morally inspiring. :)
  • kaesmith20001
    January 14, 2009
    kaesmith20001
    they should've just sticked w/ the 1st & 2nd
  • queenharmonicstorm
    October 6, 2008
    queenharmonicstorm
    I actually didn't like this knock off of Beethoven. Rather boring and the story line was very convoluted

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