R E V I E W S
Cats & Dogs (2001)
Starring:
Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Sean Hayes, Tobey Maguire Rating: PG Studio: Warner Bros. Review Posted: 7.6.01 Rating: 2.5/4
By Sara M. Fetters.
"War
of the Pets Leaves Humans Behind"
Secret
agents. Ninjas. Super spies. Top secret experiments. A
megalomaniac bent on world domination. What’s that spell? A
new James Bond adventure? The latest Tom Cruise espionage
spectacle? The world of the upcoming Robert Redford/Brad Pitt
thriller Spy Game?
None of the above, for that description is the everyday world of
cats and dogs everywhere as they secretly do battle, the fate of
the human world hanging in the balance.
So
posits the new family adventure Cats
& Dogs, a kid-friendly romp where cats are a feline evil
bent on taking over the world and dogs are the only canines
canny enough to stop them. It’s a silly, special
effects-filled matinee kiddy fodder sure to please its intended
audience to no end. But
unlike Spy Kids or Shrek,
recent family flicks that really clicked, Cats
& Dogs offers little for parents looking to enjoy
themselves as much as their children.
Lou
(Tobey Maguire) is the new puppy pet of Professor Brody (Jeff
Goldblum) and his family (Elizabeth Perkins, Alexander Pollock).
Brody is working on a new formula that will eradicate all human
allergies towards dogs. This would have the affect of making
dogs the dominate pet on the planet and the cats, led by the
devilishly white and fluffy Mr. Tinkles (Sean Hayes), can not
let that happen.
You
see, once long a go, cats ruled the planet and human were their
obedient pets. In fact, it was under cat rule that the great
pyramids and many of the wonders of ancient Egypt were
constructed. That was the status quo until dogs rose up as
man’s best friend, overthrowing the cats and re-installing
humans to their rightful place as leaders of the planet.
Featuring
the vocal talents of an all star cast, including Alec Baldwin,
Jon Lovitz, Susan Sarandon and Charlton Heston, in the hands of
its stars Cats & Dogs can be a lot of fun. Hayes, especially, appears to
be having a blast playing the maniacal Mr. Tinkles. Equal parts
Dr. Evil and Blofeld, Mr. Tinkles presides over his cat dominion
with an iron hand and Hayes has some wickedly funny asides.
But, aside from a few visually inventive effects and some quirky moments, that is really all the film has to offer. For children, that’s not really a bad thing. Unlike the Dr. Dolittle movies, Cats & Dogs has very little of bathroom humor that’s become so commonplace in family films. And except for a fitfully funny, and a tad violent, skirmish between the hero and a Russian kitten assassin, there is nothing here to give parents cause for alarm.
There
is just not really all that much to keep them interested,
either. Cats & Dogs is so impressed with its conceit it forgets to tell
a tale worth the effort. Unlike the Babe
films, the plot here is so thin that there’s almost nothing
for the effects and jokes to cling to. Equally lost in the
process are the human actors, mainly present to wear funny
looking contraptions and make silly faces.
Really, in the end, children are going to eat this film up which really isn’t so bad. I just kept wishing the filmmakers had remembered how important it is to keep me entertained, too.
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