Beethoven's 2nd (film)

Beethoven's 2nd is a 1993 American family comedy film. Directed by Rod Daniel and written by Len Blum, it is the sequel to the 1992 film Beethoven, second installment in the Beethoven film series and the last to be released theatrically. Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Nicholle Tom, Christopher Castile and Sarah Rose Karr reprised their roles with Debi Mazar and Chris Penn joining the cast. Initially, no sequel was planned, but it was produced after the unexpected financial success of the previous film.

Plot
In the Newton family home, George, Alice, Ryce, Ted, Emily, and Beethoven are all well-adjusted to living together. One day, Beethoven sneaks out and meets a female St. Bernard, Missy, and her owner, Brillo. However, Brillo's future ex-wife, Regina, arrives with her new boyfriend, Floyd, takes Missy, and is seeking $50,000 in the settlement as alimony. Regina has retained full custody of Missy and only plans to transfer her to Brillo once the divorce is finalized.

With Beethoven's help, Missy escapes from Regina and Floyd's condominium, and they fall in love. Meanwhile, Ryce develops strong romantic feelings for her classmate, Taylor Devereaux, after he kisses her. Ted and Emily become aware of Beethoven constantly sneaking out of the house and follow him, where they discover he and Missy had four puppies in the basement of Regina and Floyd's condominium building. The local janitor also finds them and informs Regina and Floyd. Regina then reclaims Missy and plans to get rid of the puppies, even if it means killing them, but Gus talks Regina out of it by pointing out that purebred puppies are worth a lot of money and suggests that she could sell them at a pet store and make a fortune.

After hearing Regina's plan to drown the puppies, Ted and Emily sneak them out of the building and take the puppies home. They keep the puppies in the basement so George will not see them. Realizing Ted and Emily took the puppies, Regina plans revenge. Ryce, Ted, and Emily take it upon themselves to feed and care for them. Eventually, George discovers the puppies and reluctantly agrees to keep them until they mature.

The Newtons are offered a free stay in a lakefront house in the mountains owned by one of George's business associates. There, Taylor invites Ryce to a party with friends where she is exposed to teenage drinking and sexual harassment. Beethoven destroys the house's patio deck, saving her from potential danger. Regina and Floyd are staying in a location unknown to Brillo, coincidentally near the Newtons' vacation house. The Newtons go to a county fair with the dogs, and Ryce, Ted, and Emily persuade George to enter a burger eating contest with Beethoven, which they win. Regina and Floyd are also at the fair, but leave Missy in their car.

Missy escapes from the car with Beethoven's help while Regina snatches the puppies' leashes from Ted and Emily. After Floyd informs Regina that Beethoven and Missy ran into the mountains, they follow them and the Newtons follow and catch up. After a confrontation between George and Floyd, the latter threatens to drop the puppies in the river below and pokes George in the stomach with a large stick. Beethoven charges into the stick and rams it into Floyd's groin as retaliation, causing him to lose his balance. Regina grabs Floyd's hand and they both fall off the cliff. They land in a pool of mud and are swept away by the river.

Five months later, Brillo visits the Newtons with Missy, revealing that the judge in the divorce had granted him full custody of her and denied Regina's claim. The puppies, now grown, run downstairs to see Missy.

Cast
The film was Danny Masterson's screen debut. His younger brother, Christopher, also had a small role, but when the producers noticed the resemblance, they removed him.

Production
The film is set in California, but the park scenes were filmed in Montana at Glacier National Park. The house used as the Newtons' vacation home is located at 1405 Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

Production required more than 100 smooth- and rough-coated St. Bernard puppies of various ages starting at seven weeks, who were then returned to the breeders. Missy was played by three adult short-haired dogs, and Beethoven was played by two long-haired ones, although only the dog who created the role in the first film is credited; a mechanical dog, a dog's head for specific facial expressions, and a man in a dog suit were also used.

Song
The theme song, "The Day I Fall in Love", performed by James Ingram and Dolly Parton and written by Ingram, Carole Bayer Sager and Clif Magness, was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award.

Reception
The film grossed more than $118 million at the box office worldwide.

Critical response
Although the film was not well received by film critics, it received acclaim by audiences. Brian Lowry of Variety wrote that it "[amounted] to a live-action cartoon" and was "certainly a more pleasing tale" than the first. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it two stars, calling it "no masterpiece" but praising Grodin's work and noting that the dogs carried it. Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times rated it "just as funny and appealing as 'Beethoven' the first" and also praised Mazar as Regina.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 23%, based on reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 4.55/10. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a grade "A".

In other media

 * Beethoven: The Ultimate Canine Caper, a side-scrolling video game titled simply Beethoven, but based on the film, was released for Super NES, MS-DOS and Game Boy. Versions for Sega Genesis and Game Gear were developed, but they never saw release.
 * Harvey Comics: Beethoven (March 1994)