`DALMATIANS' CAN'T QUITE HIT THE SPOT.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic The true stars of ``101 Dalmatians'' don't have any spots. At least, I don't think they do. They're Glenn Close's hairdresser, costume designer and diet technician. Together, they turn Cruella DeVil into a garish marvel of fearsome fashion, an impossibly sleek, black-and-white nightmare with crimson flourishes and nails on her gloves. Each time she makes an outrageous new appearance, it hurts your eyes and then delights them. In a holiday entertainment that's primarily sheer eggnog, Cruella's look is the shot of 151 rum. Close's campy performance has a good deal of bite, too. She's all arched eyebrows and barked commands. Indeed, Close displays more canine ferocity than any of the movie's pups, but that's supposed to be the point. You'll remember that in the classic Disney cartoon on which this live-action feature is based, the dogs were much smarter, more articulate and civilized than the humans. Surely the most disappointing thing about this new movie is that its animal stars, adorable as they uniformly are, are just, well, dumb animals. Yes, they still get the better of their two-footed opponents, but they do it through yips yips pl.n. Nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively, especially in missing short putts in golf. [Probably imitative of jerky motions caused by tension. and growls and whimpers. You can call this an artistic choice, but that would require confusing a merchandising operation with a work of art. But even when it's written off to a creative consideration, which director Stephen Herek (``The Mighty Ducks'') and producer-writer John Hughes (``Home Alone'') do, it just seems lazy in the wake of ``Babe's'' marvelous, mouthy mouth·y adj. mouth·i·er, mouth·i·est 1. Annoyingly talkative. 2. Given to ranting or bombast. mouth menagerie. That said, all of those little spotted puppies are marvelously cute. But you knew that. Your kids know that. And most assuredly, Disney's licensing department knows it. You know the drill, too. Fashion witch Cruella wants a spotted fur coat. Her bumbling henchmen (Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams, broad) dognap dog·nap tr.v. dog·napped or dog·naped, dog·nap·ping or dog·nap·ing, dog·naps To steal (a dog), especially for the purpose of selling it to a research laboratory. the 15-pup litter owned by nice young Londoners Roger and Anita (Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson, bland) and stash stash Drug slang noun A place where illicit drugs are hidden them with 84 other little whelps WHELPS. The young of certain animals of a base nature, or ferae naturae. 2. It is a rule that when no larceny can be committed of any creatures of a base nature, which are ferae naturae, though tame and reclaimed, it cannot be committed of the young of such in a decrepit country mansion. With the help of a network of concerned animals, Dalmatian parents Pongo and Perdita rescue the kids, leading them to safety across a dark winter landscape. And, of course, they get the better of Cruella and her crew. Not unexpectedly, considering who's producing, ``Dalmatians'' degenerates into four-footed, ``Home Alone'' slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to . Pretty amusing slapstick, too, in Hughes' patented, sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. way. Rest assured that Cruella and her fabulous furs get dunked in all manner of goo, and there's even a higher-tech variation on that sure-fire kiddie kid·die or kid·dy n. pl. kid·dies Slang A small child. kiddie Noun Informal a child laugh-getter, the crotch crotch n. The angle or region of the angle formed by the junction of two parts or members, such as two branches, limbs, or legs. kick. Speaking of high-tech variations, wouldn't you know that Roger, who was a composer in the cartoon, now designs video games for a living. The movie's funniest bit involves a subteen sub·teen adj. Relating to, intended for, or being a preadolescent child or children; preteen: a subteen dance. n. 1. See preteen. 2. subteens The preadolescent years. twerp who essentially tells a big-time CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). manufacturer what programs it should buy and sell. Yes, it's another built-in advertisement for yet another Disney spinoff product, but it's also a sly comment on the kind of thinking that went into this whole endeavor. Although the ``aww'' factor never gives out, the film does lose energy in - you'll pardon the word - spots. Since the dogs don't talk, they fail to develop very distinctive personalities, which makes them less entertaining than their cartoon predecessors and harder to care about. The puppies are particularly difficult to distinguish from one another, even with the special assists some of them get from Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. It was originally created as a result of the observation that the team that had been put together for The Dark Crystal was extremely hard to recreate for Labyrinth, since puppets and the computers at Industrial Light and Magic. As for the best reasons to see this movie (since you're going to have to anyway): Anthony Powell designed the costumes and Martial Corneville did Cruella's wigs. Corsets were involved in giving Close that wasp-sized waist; we probably don't want to know what else it took. But like everything else about ``101 Dalmatians,'' it was doubtless another example of a very dedicated actress gamely enduring anything, while everything around her was going to the dogs. THE FACTS The film: ``101 Dalmatians'' (G). The stars: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright, Hugh Laurie, Mark Williams. Behind the scenes: Directed by Stephen Herek. Written by John Hughes, based on Dodie Smith's novel. Produced by Hughes and Ricardo Mestres. Released by Walt Disney Pictures. Running time: One hour, 45 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: A concerned Dalmatian parent keeps busy Roger (Jeff Daniels) company in ``101 Dalmatians.'' |
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