I really enjoyed the first film, and while the second had its faults that was pretty good as well. Along with the fourth film, which is little more than a mediocre canine rehash on the classic Prince and the Pauper tale, this is one of the weaker films of the franchise. The soundtrack is great and Beethoven himself is fun and huggable, but everything else doesn't work. Judge Reinhold takes over from Charles Grodin, and while I have nothing personal against Reinhold, he overcompensates by acting almost every scene like it is an amateur dramatics pantomime. Julia Sweeney looks really lovely as his wife but she is underused and looks embarrassed. I am not surprised that the acting was sub par for they are very ill used with a badly underwritten script, very amateurish camera work and a very formulaic plot. I know the plot wasn't necessarily a strong point in the first Beethoven film, but at least that film had charm and fun. The pacing is also uneven, and as the increasingly silly and unfunny antics wore on I found myself bored and caring less for the characters, especially those rather clownish villains. Not to mention a flat climax that felt rushed and abrupt. Overall, disappointing and mediocre. 3/10 Bethany Cox
24 Reviews
Temporary custody of the St.Bernard
bkoganbing4 March 2016
I'm at a loss to understand the hate directed at Beethoven's 3rd. The previous editions weren't exactly Citizen Kane this one keeps to the same standard, it's not so much horribly worse. In fact I found it entertaining.
A different set of Newtons have temporary custody of the ungainly St.Bernard. Judge Reinhold has taken Beethoven from his brother and he plans to attend the Newton family reunion in Southern California. What would be better than a nice trip in a motor home but of course Beethoven would have to be kenneled. Beethoven has other ideas.
The film follows closely along National Lampoon's Vacation with a whole lot of the same kind of situations. Poor Reinhold figures to relive the memory of a trip he took with his parents and he really does.
What the parents didn't have is a couple of hackers on their trail doing a little espionage. Michael Ciccolini and Jamie Marsh are trying to retrieve a disc they put into a case at a Blockbuster like store that contains some secret codes. A movie no one was supposed to rent, but the Newtons did rent. These two are the funniest thing in the film.
With the presence of video rental stores, the film has already dated itself. Good while they lasted, I know someone who lost considerable money in a mom and pop like operation of one. He lost out to Blockbuster and now Blockbuster is pretty well gone as well.
Nothing that horrible about Beethoven's 3rd as opposed to its predecessors.
A different set of Newtons have temporary custody of the ungainly St.Bernard. Judge Reinhold has taken Beethoven from his brother and he plans to attend the Newton family reunion in Southern California. What would be better than a nice trip in a motor home but of course Beethoven would have to be kenneled. Beethoven has other ideas.
The film follows closely along National Lampoon's Vacation with a whole lot of the same kind of situations. Poor Reinhold figures to relive the memory of a trip he took with his parents and he really does.
What the parents didn't have is a couple of hackers on their trail doing a little espionage. Michael Ciccolini and Jamie Marsh are trying to retrieve a disc they put into a case at a Blockbuster like store that contains some secret codes. A movie no one was supposed to rent, but the Newtons did rent. These two are the funniest thing in the film.
With the presence of video rental stores, the film has already dated itself. Good while they lasted, I know someone who lost considerable money in a mom and pop like operation of one. He lost out to Blockbuster and now Blockbuster is pretty well gone as well.
Nothing that horrible about Beethoven's 3rd as opposed to its predecessors.
Beethoven's 3rd!
studioAT18 June 2021
National Lampoon's ANIMAL Vacation...
MovieAddict20167 April 2003
Warning: Spoilers
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 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.
1/5 stars -
John Ulmer
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 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.
1/5 stars -
John Ulmer
Horrible Movie
jerrysmith-5570511 January 2018
This is truly one of the worst movies I have ever watched. I can only think of one thats even worse: Beethoven 4th!
Bad actors, bad script, everything about this movie is stupid. Too immature for my kids. They had trouble watching it!
Enough of the bashing!
NeglectfulKiller9 February 2004
Of all of the Beethoven movies, Beethoven's 3rd is the funniest! The second was pretty good, but this one has some hilarious moments. I don't care what anyone here says, I liked it. The 2 "bad guys" were hilarious. "I felt a great disturbance in the force, as if 7 gnomes cried out at once, and were silenced." The lanky dude is esoteric like this, either you get that style of humour or you don't. I do, so I think it's funny. The other guy is a speed junkie who drinks caffeinated beverages by the scads and has some pretty funny physical comedy scenes. Judge Reinhold was a great dad in this movie, and has some funny lines. The Shakiest Gun in the West, "That was one of the highlights of the trip", for pete's sake! Funny stuff.
Riiiight, nice cover up
Smells_Like_Cheese29 November 2006
I was babysitting a couple nights ago and my cousins are in love with the Beethoven movies, so we watched all of them and had a movie night. I remember loving the first and the second Beethoven when I was a kid, so in some ways I was interested in seeing where the story took off for the Newtons. But this turned into your typical family film that wasn't really original or believable. The "villains" seemed to be homosexual morons who seemed out of place of wanting a disc of valuable information and the whole family was predictable stereotypes.
Beethoven for no reason explained has been shipped to George Newton's brother, Richard who is taking his family to a reunion where he'll meet Geroge and Alice and give them Beethoven. I guess Richard rents a movie that these criminals thought would never be rented, in the case there is a DVD of secret information that the criminals must have back. They chase the family around with Beethoven who will make sure that these guys will not hurt the family, although with these certain villains, I'm pretty sure that's not a strong possibility.
It was really bad acting and not even a good enough movie for a family afternoon. I'm not sure why my cousins liked the movies, because I raised them better than that with movie knowledge, but oh well, I guess these movies must have something special in them. So, I guess I will give it an extra point.
2/10
Beethoven for no reason explained has been shipped to George Newton's brother, Richard who is taking his family to a reunion where he'll meet Geroge and Alice and give them Beethoven. I guess Richard rents a movie that these criminals thought would never be rented, in the case there is a DVD of secret information that the criminals must have back. They chase the family around with Beethoven who will make sure that these guys will not hurt the family, although with these certain villains, I'm pretty sure that's not a strong possibility.
It was really bad acting and not even a good enough movie for a family afternoon. I'm not sure why my cousins liked the movies, because I raised them better than that with movie knowledge, but oh well, I guess these movies must have something special in them. So, I guess I will give it an extra point.
2/10
Stupid Movie
juliayc_russ5 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
All actors can't act. The dogs are not cute. The bad guys are utterly stupid. The girl that Brennan has a crush on looks 10 years older than him. The "climax" of the movie (if you can call it that)is totally flat. The plot is hollow. The whole thing is just bad. I only watched the movie to the end to see how much worse it could be.
I never like "family movies". But there are a couple of them out there that are pretty cute. This one, is just not one of them. Why don't they let the dog do more? Why don't they find some actors can actually deliver the lines convincingly? Why don't they write a plot that makes more sense? Do yourself a favour, don't watch this movie. It's a waste of time. It doesn't even entertain!
I never like "family movies". But there are a couple of them out there that are pretty cute. This one, is just not one of them. Why don't they let the dog do more? Why don't they find some actors can actually deliver the lines convincingly? Why don't they write a plot that makes more sense? Do yourself a favour, don't watch this movie. It's a waste of time. It doesn't even entertain!
It's Great !!!Thank you Joe Pichler !!!
johnng4523 August 2002
I just have finished this movie today and I thought the film was great ! Everybody was great but the bad guys were terrible ! Might be somebody was right !!! The two bad guys were just look like dumbies. But this was the first time I felt it's a great happiness family travel Ever ! I watched this film because of Joe Pichler.Now I can say that he's so great !!!!!! Thank you for giving me a funny film !!!!
HORRIBLE sequel!!!
ShortCuteBlonde24 August 2002
i dont even know why this was called a sequel, the family in the first 2 were barely even in it, and i think the dog was different too. I dont know how anyone could sit thru this movie without crying in agony for the actors that had to go thru the horror of acting this awful film
Beethoven is back
rossrobinson31 October 2003
Beethoven's 3rd was made 7 years after the 2nd Beethoven movie was made in 1993. 7 years later Beethoven's 3rd was released in 2000. I enjoyed this movie as i think it brought the humour of the other Beethoven movies back in. I remember when i first saw the first ever Beethoven movie when it was released in 1992. I give Beethoven's 3rd 8 out of 10.
Underrated comedy
grahamsj313 February 2004
Beethoven's (he's a St. Bernard) family hits the road in the family RV - and Beethoven gets to go, too. The father wants to take a replica of an RV trip that he and his family took many years before. However, the family is being stalked by a pair of bad guys. Unknown to the family, the kids are in possession of a CD containing a secret code and the baddies try several times (with hilarious results) to steal it. Usually they find themselves facing Beethoven. Judge Reinhold is the father (seems a bit young, but pulls it off), with Julia Sweeney as his wife. There are some pretty funny spots in this. I liked it.
Quentin Tarantino bit is clever, rest is not.
ryangilmer00712 December 2001
Ok, the problems with this movie are numerous, but they must start with the silly storyline.
1- Thieves put a virus on a DVD and then sell the DVD to a movie rental store, only to wish to purchase it back again, only to notice that Judge Reinhold bought it (or at least I hope he bought it because otherwise he'd have massive rental fees), yet if he bought it, then the theives would have had to put a factory seal on it, which they didn't.
Anyway, trying to figure out the logic of this is beyond the point of the movie. In fact, its illogical that a movie with such a plot would even be green-lit (let a lone a sequel with the same copywrite date???, which doesn't even follow directly from the "surprise ending" of this movie--> if you can even call it a surprise).
Anyway, Judge Reinhold is decent and the new Newton family is at least watchable, yet the writing of this movie is the biggest disapointment. The characters are basically just around to fill holes and none of them have any character developement. Brennan's character is just whinny kid, who uses Beethoven to seduce girls (as he lacks charm), Sara is just there to be on the dog's side and to play off her brother, Beth is just a whinny Mom who hates the dog, and the theives are just idiots, the cops are pretty stupid, heck the best part may be the Video Store Clerk. At least Greg Pitts shows some range in an obvious Quentin Tarantino reference to his video store clerk days.
Too bad the rest of the film could not have been as clever. Rating: 3 (at least its better than part 4: rating of 2)
1- Thieves put a virus on a DVD and then sell the DVD to a movie rental store, only to wish to purchase it back again, only to notice that Judge Reinhold bought it (or at least I hope he bought it because otherwise he'd have massive rental fees), yet if he bought it, then the theives would have had to put a factory seal on it, which they didn't.
Anyway, trying to figure out the logic of this is beyond the point of the movie. In fact, its illogical that a movie with such a plot would even be green-lit (let a lone a sequel with the same copywrite date???, which doesn't even follow directly from the "surprise ending" of this movie--> if you can even call it a surprise).
Anyway, Judge Reinhold is decent and the new Newton family is at least watchable, yet the writing of this movie is the biggest disapointment. The characters are basically just around to fill holes and none of them have any character developement. Brennan's character is just whinny kid, who uses Beethoven to seduce girls (as he lacks charm), Sara is just there to be on the dog's side and to play off her brother, Beth is just a whinny Mom who hates the dog, and the theives are just idiots, the cops are pretty stupid, heck the best part may be the Video Store Clerk. At least Greg Pitts shows some range in an obvious Quentin Tarantino reference to his video store clerk days.
Too bad the rest of the film could not have been as clever. Rating: 3 (at least its better than part 4: rating of 2)
wow...
Ashlonious30 January 2004
Oh my god. When renting this, I thought to myself...the first one was pretty good, the 2nd one wasn't bad, maybe the 3rd one will be fine...even though they went all "Home Alone" on us and released it 8 years later but thats beside the point. This movie blew beyond belief. Don't see it - save yourself a couple bucks and buy some candy.
Terrible
xankin28 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is probably the stupidest movie I've ever watched. All the jokes are dumb and played out, like the generic villains going through idiotic " hi-jinx" like getting sewage and dog crap dumped on them. The acting is corny, and the story is just abysmal, with a side plot including the 10-year old brother having a crush on a girl that looks years older than him. Basically the plot consists of: Beethoven's family in the first 2 movies dumps him with their cousins, and from there on out is " Hi-jinx!" In the end, an unknown family member informs the cousins that the family increased their vacation from a week to a year. ( Geez, movie, no need to make that much sense.) Overall, it's moronic and torturous to watch, and I recommend getting yourself a copy to use as fuel for your next bonfire.
Not As Good as 1 & 2, But Could Be Worse...
vip-danii26 April 2013
I liked "Beethoven 1 & 2", and I knew this sequel was not likely to be as good, so I never had high expectations for it.
I got what I expected. An average movie. There *is* some entertainment value, but it's nowhere near as good as the 2 of its predecessors.
The acting was... not very good (to put it mildly).
Well, Judge Reinhold was great, as always. A very underrated actor.
The wife was also decent enough.
But the kids were terrible, though. With so many talented child actors waiting to break through, they selected these good-for-nothing brats? They must have relatives amongst the crew, because I don't believe anyone would pick such talentless people based on a fair selection process.
The kids in "Beethoven 1 & 2" were excellent. They were convincing in their roles, and their characters were pretty interesting and charismatic. That's what this movie is lacking: likable characters (except for Judge Reinhold -- he *is* very charismatic).
I know movies in this genre are not supposed to be serious or realistic, but this was a bit much. That story with hackers made very little sense and was insultingly unconvincing (not quite as bad as in "Beethoven's Big Break", but still...). And the hackers themselves are p***-poor actors.
All in all, it's probably a half-decent movie for pre-school aged kids, and it's just about watchable for adults, but... leaves a lot to be desired.
I got what I expected. An average movie. There *is* some entertainment value, but it's nowhere near as good as the 2 of its predecessors.
The acting was... not very good (to put it mildly).
Well, Judge Reinhold was great, as always. A very underrated actor.
The wife was also decent enough.
But the kids were terrible, though. With so many talented child actors waiting to break through, they selected these good-for-nothing brats? They must have relatives amongst the crew, because I don't believe anyone would pick such talentless people based on a fair selection process.
The kids in "Beethoven 1 & 2" were excellent. They were convincing in their roles, and their characters were pretty interesting and charismatic. That's what this movie is lacking: likable characters (except for Judge Reinhold -- he *is* very charismatic).
I know movies in this genre are not supposed to be serious or realistic, but this was a bit much. That story with hackers made very little sense and was insultingly unconvincing (not quite as bad as in "Beethoven's Big Break", but still...). And the hackers themselves are p***-poor actors.
All in all, it's probably a half-decent movie for pre-school aged kids, and it's just about watchable for adults, but... leaves a lot to be desired.
Anybody tell me please why they change all actrors????
saddammirzaev12 February 2020
Kids Will Enjoy
Hollywood_Yoda11 July 2022
Let's face it, this direct to video sequel was aimed at the child audience and maybe some adults. Is it as good as the original Beethoven films? Probably not in most people's opinions. However, it is the most memorable sequel to me.
The story of a family road trip with an underlying spy story involving a Don Knott's comedy DVD. It makes the film entertaining. The bumbling idiots chasing the family could've been written better though.
The casting of Judge Reinhold was definitely a plus for this film, as he was well known at the time. Reinhold's name alone probably kept this film from completely failing. However, Judge Reinhold is no Charles Grodin!
The story of a family road trip with an underlying spy story involving a Don Knott's comedy DVD. It makes the film entertaining. The bumbling idiots chasing the family could've been written better though.
The casting of Judge Reinhold was definitely a plus for this film, as he was well known at the time. Reinhold's name alone probably kept this film from completely failing. However, Judge Reinhold is no Charles Grodin!
Bad piece of crap
Darth_Voorhees7 March 2003
The Newton family decides to take a road trip,but they can't go without Beethoven,and a DVD player which has a DVD with some code or some crap on it. The bad guys plan to kill Beethoven and get the DVD. Which turns the movie dumb to dumber. Bad humor,that only a 4 year old would find funny. Really bad! Stay away from at all costs!
0/5
0/5
Too immature even for a five-year-old
cricketnut_200412 June 2004
To say this is not a patch on the first two Beethovens is a simplistic understatement. Whoever put up the money to make this ghastly waste of space must have been barking mad. The "best" of the puerile toilet gags that litter the film involve exploding sewage outlets (all over the bad guys, naturally); the eponymous pooch farting after an overdose of eggs; and the dog licking a gigantic ball of earwax. The plot is daft and the baddies so stupid you almost feel sorry for them. The only ray of light (for us girls, anyway) is a drop-dead gorgeous cop right near the end of the film, providing the excuse for the inevitable car chase. But even he doesn't make it worth wasting time or money on this one.
Why make another Beethoven movie now?
dootuss22 October 2001
Beethoven's 3rd was the STUPIDEST movie out of all the Beethoven movies! The family was stupid, the plot was really stupid, the bad guys were EXTREMELY stupid, and even that big slobbering beast Beethoven was stupid! Now, they're producing "Beethoven's 4th. What's the point of making another one if the last one was horrible? Stay away from Beethoven's 3rd at all costs!!!!
Phew!
Won-tolla15 April 2003
Warning: Spoilers
In this movie Beethoven meets a skunk that makes him stink for about five minutes of screen time. That makes him about one of the best smelling things with this movie. (small spoiler) The bad guys make the Wet Bandits from Home Alone look good. How can these idiots be smart enough to burn a DVD?
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