Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Placed in a foster home that doesn't allow pets, 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, turn an abandoned hotel into a home for their dog. Soon other strays arrive, and the hotel becomes a haven for every orphaned canine in town. But the kids have to do some quick thinking to keep the cops off their tails.
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What critics compared Hotel for Dogs to
Based on Lois Duncan’s junior novel (she also wrote the book on which “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was based!) and directed by Thor Freudenthal, “Hotel for Dogs” is strictly for the young folks.
Eliciting affecting performances from the two leads, director Thor Freudenthal ( Wimpy Kid ; Hotel for Dogs ; Percy Jackson 2 ) handles the face-to-camera device well as Adam narrates his own story, sometimes honestly, sometimes unreliably.
YA adaptations (this one by Nick Naveda from Julia Walton’s novel) of teen romances featuring illness usually trod a well-worn path, but director Thor Freudenthal ("Hotel for Dogs," "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"), blessed with a hugely talented lead and exceptional supporting cast, makes a real name for himself here with one that truly shines.
Rather than the usual tropes of his mother being a saint and her new partner Paul ( Justified’s Walton Goggins) being a bully or heel, there are nuances and shades that only come into play as director Thor Freudenthal ( Diary of a Wimpy Kid , Hotel for Dogs ) and screenwriter Nick Naveda’s adaptation reaches its denouement.
To be fair, this saturation is likely by design: one does not hire the director of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Hotel for Dogs for his skill at subtlety and elegance.