The thought that kept running through my mind during the screening of “Hotel for Dogs” was this: At least none of these dogs are talking. Dozens of talking dogs would have made “Hotel for Dogs” just as bad as “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.”

This film is definitely another dog-lover movie, but unlike “Marley & Me,” it doesn’t have as broad of appeal to a larger audience. Like most movies with cute, cuddly canines, however, those in “Hotel for Dogs” steal the show, especially from most of the human actors.

One of the aspects I liked about “Hotel for Dogs” — because there weren’t many — was that it seemed to come from a very adolescent mindset. This isn’t due to the writing, which was horrendous, or directing, but from the main actors. Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, who play brother and sister, look and act the age they are playing. Roberts, who’s 17, was playing a 16-year-old — which was probably her same age while filming. This added some level of believability to an otherwise preposterous film.

A few of the other supporting actors — Johnny Simmons, Kyla Pratt and Troy Gentile — are also decent. But because “Hotel for Dogs” is a Nickelodeon-made film, I wouldn’t expect outstanding performances from these young actors. What they did, however, was just fine for the this type of movie. Don Cheadle, who might be paying his dues to Paramount/Dreamworks for replacing Terrence Howard as Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the upcoming films “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers,” is also good. However, Lisa Kudrow, of whom I am a fan, and Kevin Dillon probably did this film for the paycheck only. Although I was waiting for Kudrow, who plays a rock ‘n’ roll wannabe, to break out into a verse of “Smelly Cat” — of the television show “Friends” fame.

The main problems with “Hotel for Dogs” are its plot holes and the lackadaisical writing. I know many films have their issues with making the story come full circle, but this time it gets way out of hand. At many times while watching “Hotel for Dogs,” I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders and throw my hands up in the air because of its outlandishness. In some movies this wouldn’t matter because the film doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s pretty clear that director Thor Freudenthal was trying to make a fun, yet serious, movie.

In “Hotel for Dogs,” Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Austin) are constantly getting into trouble because they don’t like their foster parents, currently Lois (Kudrow) and Carl (Dillon) Scudder. Their caseworker Bernie (Cheadle) can’t find any foster families who will take in two siblings at 11 and 16 years old. Instead, they try to move from home to home until they find a place they love. They also have a dog, named Friday.

When Friday goes missing one day, picked up by the dog catchers of animal control, Andi and Bruce scour the streets trying to find him. After going into a pet store with fliers, they meet Dave (Simmons) and Heather (Pratt) who eventually become good friends with the brother and sister. When they finally find Friday, they manage to come upon an old, abandoned hotel that’s home to a few other dogs. They decide to leave Friday there and take care of the other dogs as well. After Andi goes to buy food for them at Dave’s store, he convinces her to take in a handful of other stray dogs from his store. In no time, dozens of dogs are the new tenants of the old hotel. Bruce builds different contraptions that keep the dogs in order with their food, digestive and playing schedules.

The happiness at the hotel falters when animal control catches wind of some barks and takes them all to doggy prison — the pound — and Bruce and Andi are separated. Friday eventually escapes from the pound to reunite Bruce and Andi and the rest of the dogs at the hotel.

“Hotel for Dogs” is as predictable as films come with awful writing. I knew the outcome within the first 20 minutes. However, the performances are decent. It is an appropriate movie for kids, although some kids may be begging their parents to buy them a new puppy afterward.

Missy Thompson: missy@tooeletranscript.com