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This one is strictly for young kids as it’s a little too cheesy for the average adult viewer. That said Chihuahua Too! is cute enough, an enthusiastic effort by all involved. As the title suggests, it’s a dog movie. The basic concept involves the Fastener family—parents Jennifer (Ivy Elstrom) and Chuck (Zay Harding) plus kids Jarred (Hendrix Gullixson) and Jan (Chaia Mutrux) —moving into a recently-inherited summer home that happens to be haunted by the ghost of a long-deceased Chihuahua named Sophie.
Little Sophie was a star of the silver screen during the silent era. The Fastener’s real estate agent (Paul Gregory) fills them in, explaining that the attic contains the old black-and-white movies starring Sophie, who was trained by the house’s original owners (apparently victims of the Titanic disaster). The parents decide they can’t afford the upkeep and need to sell. Jarred and Jan, however, have fallen in love with the property. The family dog Homer loves it too, having been the first to witness Sophie’s ghost.
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I don’t know how the little Chihuahua can disappear and reappear on command, nor how she can be held by various family members (and make contact with Homer) when she’s supposedly just a spirit. Analyzing it any further than I just did is beside the point. It’s an ultra-low budget family feature, designed to more or less wash over its young audience in 80 minutes time. The original score by W. Gregory Turner is surprisingly pleasant and jaunty. The cast does their best with the frequently banal dialogue (“Thanks for the napkin, Mom,” the son says at one point, even though it was the dad who gave it to him).
It’s easy to be super cynical about a release like this, blatantly designed as a Beverly Hills Chihuahua knock-off. Bottom line: there’s no reason to rave about Chihuahua Too!, but there’s also no reason to crap on it. I wouldn’t recommend any youngsters googling Ivy Elfstrom, the 43-but-still-hot actress playing the mom. Adults, on the other hand, might enjoy what they find (she’s been billed under a couple alternate names). Chihuahua Too! is a bargain-basement production, but the DVD is priced low. And the dogs are adorable.
Little Sophie was a star of the silver screen during the silent era. The Fastener’s real estate agent (Paul Gregory) fills them in, explaining that the attic contains the old black-and-white movies starring Sophie, who was trained by the house’s original owners (apparently victims of the Titanic disaster). The parents decide they can’t afford the upkeep and need to sell. Jarred and Jan, however, have fallen in love with the property. The family dog Homer loves it too, having been the first to witness Sophie’s ghost.
I don’t know how the little Chihuahua can disappear and reappear on command, nor how she can be held by various family members (and make contact with Homer) when she’s supposedly just a spirit. Analyzing it any further than I just did is beside the point. It’s an ultra-low budget family feature, designed to more or less wash over its young audience in 80 minutes time. The original score by W. Gregory Turner is surprisingly pleasant and jaunty. The cast does their best with the frequently banal dialogue (“Thanks for the napkin, Mom,” the son says at one point, even though it was the dad who gave it to him).It’s easy to be super cynical about a release like this, blatantly designed as a Beverly Hills Chihuahua knock-off. Bottom line: there’s no reason to rave about Chihuahua Too!, but there’s also no reason to crap on it. I wouldn’t recommend any youngsters googling Ivy Elfstrom, the 43-but-still-hot actress playing the mom. Adults, on the other hand, might enjoy what they find (she’s been billed under a couple alternate names). Chihuahua Too! is a bargain-basement production, but the DVD is priced low. And the dogs are adorable.
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