PET PROJECT 'CATS & DOGS' DOESN'T LIVE UP TO ITS PREMISE - BAD MOVIE! BAD FAMILY MOVIE!Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic It's an adage at least as old as the domestication domestication Process of hereditary reorganization of wild animals and plants into forms more accommodating to the interests of people. In its strictest sense, it refers to the initial stage of human mastery of wild animals and plants. of animals: Truth is the first casualty of war. This is evident throughout ``Cats & Dogs,'' a distorted piece of anti-feline ``pupaganda'' disguised as a family-friendly, special-effects comedy. Family-friendly? If your name is Stalin, maybe. Be not fooled, though that may be difficult sometimes, so cleverly does director Lawrence Guterman marshal his forces and material - lifelike puppets from the Jim Henson Creature Shop, animated and visual effects by Phil Tippett, computer graphics wizardry wiz·ard·ry n. pl. wiz·ard·ries 1. The art, skill, or practice of a wizard; sorcery. 2. a. A power or effect that appears magical by its capacity to transform: by Rhythm & Hues and incredibly well-trained animal performers - to give the impression lovable mutts are indeed saving the world from conniving cats. Well, maybe it'll be easier than they think. Because although ``Cats & Dogs'' does impress sporadically, its photo-real, talking title animals still manage to fall short in the convincing department, and way, way shorter when it comes to charm - no matter how cute they try to make the main beagle beagle, breed of dog beagle, breed of small, compact hound developed over centuries in England and introduced into the United States in the 1870s. It stands between 10 and 15 in. (25.4–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 20 and 40 lb (9. - than the beasts from ``Babe.'' The storyline, too, might have benefited from less tabby bashing (OK, I'll lay off for a while) and from more of an effort to wring entertaining variations out of what is, indisputably, a promising premise. But even the handful of good ideas that the movie works aren't enough to compensate for its overall formulaic, repetitive, chase-and-fight approach. Setting the ages-old rivalry between man's two best friends in modern suburbia, the movie posits a secret, high-tech war between the two species going on under the uncomprehending noses of your basic, absent-minded scientist (Jeff Goldblum), his nice wife (Elizabeth Perkins) and their young son (Alexander Pollock). Goldblum's Professor Brody is about to discover a cure for dog dander dander /dan·der/ (dan´der) small scales from the hair or feathers of animals, which may be a cause of allergy in sensitive persons. dan·der n. allergy, a breakthrough the neighborhood agents of the Canine Intelligence Service will do anything to protect. Simultaneously, at a nearby mansion, Persian fascist cat Mr. Tinkles is hatching a scheme to pervert the good doctor's formula for his own maniacal ma·ni·a·cal or ma·ni·ac adj. Suggestive of or afflicted with insanity. , world-conquering agenda. When the dogs need to place a new operative in the Brody household, there's a mixup, and the untrained beagle pup, Lou, bonds with the humans before he can be replaced. The older pooches then have to guide the wet-behind-his-adorably-floppy-ears youngster through the finer points of countering Siamese ninjas and Russian blues armed with a bewildering be·wil·der tr.v. be·wil·dered, be·wil·der·ing, be·wil·ders 1. To confuse or befuddle, especially with numerous conflicting situations, objects, or statements. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. array of hairball hair·ball n. A small mass of hair located in the stomach or intestine of an animal, such as a cat, resulting from an accumulation of small amounts of hair that are swallowed each time the animal licks its coat. weaponry. The voice work here is very good. Tobey Maguire lends just the right note of puppyish pup·py·ish adj. Resembling or characteristic of a puppy. Adj. 1. puppyish - characteristic of a puppy puppylike enthusiasm to Lou, and Alec Baldwin and Susan Sarandon bring a sense of, um, hard-bitten maturity to his seen-it-all handlers (or is that pawers?). On the unfairly maligned ma·lign tr.v. ma·ligned, ma·lign·ing, ma·ligns To make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of. adj. 1. Evil in disposition, nature, or intent. 2. feline front, ``Will & Grace's'' Sean Hayes is clearly having the time of his life voicing the venal VENAL. Something that is bought. The term is generally applied in a bad sense; as, a venal office is an office which has been purchased. , voracious Mr. Tinkles. Still, how could anyone who so clearly fits the profile of a cat person engage in such grotesque stereotyping? There I go again. But couldn't the filmmakers have humanized the cats a little more? Maybe show one offering its master a freshly killed bird or something, as they so affectionately do in real life? A movie that better incorporated real pet behavior into a secret war scenario might actually have been funnier, too. ``CATS & DOGS'' (Rated PG: violence) The stars: Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Alexander Pollock. Voices of Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes, Susan Sarandon. Behind the scenes: Directed by Lawrence Guterman. Written by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. Produced by Andrew Lazar, Chris deFaria, Warren Zide and Craig Perry. Released by Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Running time: One hour, 28 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lou the beagle, right, voiced by Tobey Maguire, talks things over with Scott, played by Alexander Pollock, in ``Cats & Dogs.'' |
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