Every dog has its day and for the perky comedy Beverly Hills Chihuahua, every day is filled with Italian leather booties and the finest distilled drinking water. But what happens when a ridiculously pampered canine, who won’t leave the house without her bling, is stranded far from home at the mercy of the elements?

The film collars some decent laughs as it spins a predictable dog out of water yarn, augmented with slick visual effects, which allow the lovable, four-legged protagonists to talk to each other. Human cast are largely redundant as the antics of more than 200 canine performers take centre stage, ably marshalled by director Raja Gosnell whose last dalliance with man’s best friend was Scooby-Doo and its awful sequel.

Thankfully, this family-oriented romp is well scripted by Analisa LaBianco and Jeff Bushell, juxtaposing action sequences with slapstick interludes and a hint of amour.

With a spring in its step and a wag in its tail, Gosnell’s film soon has us barking appreciatively to a familiar tune of friendship overcoming all boundaries.

Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is the four-legged companion of cosmetics doyenne Vivian Ashe (Jamie Lee Curtis), who lavishes all of her love on the snooty Chihuahua. When Vivian is called away to Europe on business and the usual dog sitter is indisposed, the doting owner entrusts her most prized possession to selfish niece Rachel (Piper Perabo), who only wants to party with her friends.

To that end, Rachel heads for Mexico on a weekend break with two gal pals and drags Chloe along for the ride. Unfortunately, the Chihuahua is stolen by villainous dog-napper Vasquez (Maria Yazpik), who organises illegal dogfights. He plans to throw Chloe to her death at the jaws of his bloodthirsty Doberman, El Diablo. “I was born to shop not fight . . . unless it’s a sales rack,” whimpers the Chihuahua.

Luckily, an emotionally crippled German Shepherd called Delgado (Andy Garcia) steps in to save Chloe from her fate and the unlikely partners in crime go on the run for their lives.

Meanwhile, Rachel also embarks on a countrywide search for Chloe aided by Vivian’s landscape gardener Sam (Manolo Cardona) and devoted dog, Papi (Lopez).

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is simple yet very sweet, transplanting Chloe from her swanky surroundings to a dog-eat-dog world where only the brave survive by scrounging for scraps. Barrymore and her co-stars deliver energetic vocal performances that capture the quirky personalities of their alter egos, while Perabo and Cardona conduct a sappy romance between the set pieces.

After years of largely forgettable supporting roles, Mickey Rourke makes a spectacular comeback in the title role of director Darren Aronofsky’s hard-hitting drama The Wrestler. Packing the sort of hefty emotional punch suggested by its title, the film is a mesmerizing account of one man’s painful quest to realise his dreams, at any cost.

It’s a brilliantly crafted slice of life, shot predominantly on handheld cameras by cinematographer Maryse Alberti to keep us uncomfortably close to the characters as they grapple for supremacy in the wrestling ring, to the delight of the baying masses.

Rourke is the beating heart of the picture and he is simply spellbinding as a veteran bruiser, who refuses to stay down and out for the count when fate knocks him on to the ropes. Battered and bruised, he copes magnificently with the obvious physical demands of the role but also captures the character’s internal conflict, bawling his eyes out as he laments, “I’m an old broken-down piece of meat, and I’m alone, and I deserve to be alone.” It’s a virtuoso performance that should give Sean Penn a run for the Best Actor statuette at this year’s Academy Awards.

After years of physical wear and tear inside the wrestling ring, Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson (Rourke) is struggling to keep up with the pace of the low-paid exhibition matches. After one gruelling bout, he suffers acute pain in his chest and is told that unless he rests up, his heart will give up entirely.

Forced to live in the real world, fading lord of the ring Randy ekes out a meagre living behind the deli counter of a local supermarket and strives to re-connect with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Wood).

He also pursues a romance with lap dancer Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). However, the lure of the wrestling ring proves too great.