No matter what kind of impression you may have received from the trailers and TV ads, Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a sunny little walk in Chapultapec Park.

It has talking dogs, Mexican beaches and Beverly Hills swimming pools. What’s not to like? So what if our heroine, the prissy little white Chloe, voiced by Drew Barrymore, gets lost in a pristine Mexico City where you’ll get leads on a lost Chihuahua wearing a priceless diamond collar, just by putting up fliers?

If you find that preposterous, remember: this is a movie about talking dogs. So what if Jamie Lee Curtis plays a preposterously wealthy woman who talks to her pet, pampering her daily with manis, pedis, doggy yoga, play dates and pool parties? It’s funny. It’s cute. It’s for kids, and it’s adorable. Even adults will get a kick out of the scene where Chloe finds her inner Chihuahua at the top of an ancient Mayan pyramid, and chants with the rest of her breed the fevered phrase, “No mas!”

At a time when so many films, even the ones made for children, are dark, depressing, violent and apocalyptical, it’s nice to see a film that’s just good, clean fun. Not only will it illicit giggles, but perhaps a tear or two. It’s just the thing to enjoy with a child you love.

Rated PG.

-- Lisa Johnson Mandell