Hotel for Dogs (2009)
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46% of critics liked it
(116 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(163,396 ratings)
Adapted from author Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians' announcement that pets are… More Adapted from author Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians' announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there's an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Thor Freudenthal
- Written By
- Jeff Lowell
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jan 16, 2009 Wide
- Studio
- Dreamworks Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
True, there's only the merest suggestion of an education system for these juveniles, but credibility's secondary when you've got lots of dogs doing cute stuff.
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Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
All in all it's a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon with a bunch of kids.
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Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
Will the kids like it? Yeah, probably. Will the parents tolerate it or enjoy it? Probably not.
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Ben Lyons, At the Movies
Dog people will like it.
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Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
It's sad to see a promising fantasy turn into yet another industrial-scale fantasy-delivery system that beats up on its audience with mindless intensity and undercuts its own humanity.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Emma Roberts
as Andi
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Jake T. Austin
as Bruce
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Don Cheadle
as Bernie
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Johnny Simmons
as Dave
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Kyla Pratt
as Heather
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Troy Gentile
as Mark
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Lisa Kudrow
as Lois Scudder
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Kevin Dillon
as Carl Scudder
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Robinne Lee
as Carol
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Yvette Nicole Brown
as Ms. Camwell
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Maximiliano Hernandez
as Officer Mike
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Andre Ware
as Officer Jeff
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Jonathan Klein
as Evan
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Ruben Garfias
as Department Store Employee







