15 dog movies ranked by how much you’ll cry

9. Beethoven (1992)

Beethoven is a 185 lb. St. Bernard who grows rapidly once a family adopts him as a puppy. George Newton (Charles Grodlin)’s family absolutely dotes on their dog, but he doesn’t. George is rather uncomfortable with the large dog’s drooling and mud-slinging and general excitability. It takes him a while to come around to Beethoven’s charms. Once he does, he’s as defensive and loving as the rest of his family. It’s a huge turnaround that makes the emotional impact of the movie’s end even better, even though George’s distaste for the dog is frankly deplorable up until that point.

Like Turner & Hooch before it, Beethoven is largely a comedy about the hazards of having a large dog at home. Beethoven loves to play, has no qualms about dirtying up the house, and repeatedly runs off even when he’s tied to outdoor tables where people are sitting, which leads to people being unceremoniously (and unrealistically) dragged across the yard, still attached to their chairs. It’s a very silly film, but Beethoven is also celebrated as a hero for chasing off bullies and rescuing kids from drowning, which is delightful.

Beethoven is likely to make you cry because of the horrible vet who tries to steal the dog for some awful experiments, which takes this fun-loving movie to a rather dark place. The sequels, likewise, involve a lot of horrible people doing horrible things, and they’ll all draw tears to your eyes at least once.

Likelihood of making you cry: 4/10