To put it simply, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has about as much substance as the socialite who made the breed famous. With the predictable plot of dog gets lost/dog meets protector/dog gets found, the film is hardly unique.

DETAILS “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” Rating: PG When: Now playing Running time: 1 hr., 31 min.

But there is one thing that separates the movie from most others aimed at a younger audience. The “sport” of dog fighting is showcased throughout the picture, something that seems rather inappropriate, considering the recent Michael Vick case. While attempts are made to lighten the dark mood of the scenes involving any sense of the illegal activity, they are of little help overall.

Along with this, although the exact opposite would be expected from a movie surrounding a breed most commonly associated with Mexico, the picture seems to give a negative connotation to the Mexican people and their culture. At one point during the movie, Papi, a landscaping Chihuahua, yearns to “get (his) Mexican on.”

With comments like this strung throughout the movie and a rough, rather slimy portrayal of many individuals, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” does not provide the positive message expected from Disney – until the very end. By that point, when a Chihuahua explains that what's on the inside is more important than what's on the outside, the speech will barely make an impact on the little girls in the audience who have already begun to fantasize over their dog's newest outfit.

Don't let the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis, Drew Barrymore and George Lopez “star” in it fool you. Curtis, who plays the only human out of the three, goes to waste in the film, with her 10 minutes of screen time devoted to baby-or rather doggy-talk and oohing-and-ahing over her pet's style. While children may be entertained by an entire film devoted to bilingual dogs, the idea soon bores, leaving nothing but an overdone plot with a violent theme. There's just no “wow” in this “Chihuahua.”