Big-eyed orphans and homeless puppies—if they don’t wring a tear or two, nothing will. Even the most stoic, canine-fearing sour puss will be touched by Hotel for Dogs, although somewhat against his or her will. It may be formulaic and better suited for family channel fare, but it’s brimming with “ah…ain’t it cute!” moments, and just might make you want to run out and adopt a kid or a puppy, your choice.

Before I go any further I need to confess that I’m a total sucker for dog movies. I cried in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Any film that features four-legged friends makes me go all warm and squishy inside, and I know better than to wear makeup to a screening because I’ll just cry it off. So when you compound adorable doggies with children under the care of cruel and unusual foster parents, I know I’d better bring an oversized purse simply stuffed with Kleenex. And my overwhelming emotion isn’t even checked by the fact that most of the human characters in Hotel for Dogs are ridiculously cartoonish or just plane vapid. Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon are wasted as the wannabe rocker foster parents who torment brother and sister Bruce and Andi, played by Jake T. Austin (Go, Diego! Go!) and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia, star of Unfabulous and Nancy Drew). And what is uber-actor Don Cheadle doing in there as Bernie, the kids’ social worker? Hopefully not wavering on the edge of the Cuba Gooding, Jr. slope.

The plot of the film is basically irrelevant. Did I mention there are puppies? An orphaned brother and sister live with wicked foster parents who won’t allow them to keep their dog, and they stumble upon a nearby, vacant hotel which they cleverly fix up to accommodate strays of all shapes and sizes. Alas, doggie bliss can’t last forever…or can it? Obligatory drama, youthful infatuation and dog poop jokes. Did I mention there are puppies?

Rated PG

—Lisa Johnson Mandell