Unfortunately ol' Father Geek had to miss the Austin press screening of CATS & DOGS the other day due to some calendar conflicts, and believe it or not I hated missing it. For some reason (a stupid one I'm sure)this film caught my attention and peak my desire to check it out. The prospect of just pure silly goofy fun I guess. Anyway I missed it but Capone caught the Chicago preview and reports on it here for you pet lovers out there...
Hey, all. Capone in Chicago here. I just wanted to drop a quick line about a film I saw recently that I think deserves mention.
CATS & DOGS is much funnier and exciting than it has any right to be, and I dug the hell out of it.The premise of CATS & DOGS is vaguely similar to that of the TOY STORY movies: pets (or toys) talk and generally conspire when human’s aren’t watching, which is apparently all the damn time. But the similarity between the films ends there. Whereas toys are more or less harmless creatures, these cats and dogs are members of secret societies bent on either taking over the world (cats) or saving it from takeover (dogs). The tagline for the posters of CATS & DOGS says, “Who will you root for?” We are clearly supposed to be on the dogs’ side in this film. Lou (voiced by Tobey Maguire) is just about the cutest little beagle you’re likely to see, and he wants something more than to just be a pet. He wants adventures. He is chosen by a family whose home is the focal point of the doggy secret police because the head of the household is on the verge of developing a formula that will wipe out dog allergies, thus making dogs the dominant pet of the world. The wacky and overplayed scientist is done by Jeff Goldblum, whose every arm wave, hand clap, slumped shoulder, and wide-eyed look is fully predictable and tedious. His wife (Elizabeth Perkins) wishes he’d spend more time with their song (Alexander Pollock). If I had one bad thing to say about CATS & DOGS, it would be that I wish it didn’t bother with the human characters. When humans are one screen, everything grinds to a halt. And let me just say again that Goldblum’s act is so tired at this point that I pity him.
But let’s forget the humans and focus on the good stuff here. The cats and dogs in this film are spectacular. The CGI/animatronic animals here are so much better than what I just saw in DR. DOLITTLE 2, and even BABE. Certainly at times, they look a little cartoonish (especially the cats), but they’re supposed to. Lou is recruited by the dog spies to keep an eye out on the professor and make sure no cats get near him. His commander is Butch (Alex Baldwin, basically recreating the voice from his character in PEARL HARBOR), who has some of the best lines, including, “Son of my mom!” Oh come on, it’s funny. Also doing voices of dogs are the likes of Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano, and Susan Sarandon, as Ivy, Butch’s long-lost girlfriend.Leading the evil cat brigade is Mr. Tinkles, a fluffy white number voiced by Sean Hayes, and his sidekick (Jon Lovitz). There are too scenes in particular that had me howling. One involved ninja Siamese cats in full MATRIX mode; they are awesome. There’s also the character of a bloodthirsty Russian kitten that finds a way into the Professor’s house. He coughs up hairballs filled with weapons and explosives. I was actually kind of surprised at the level of cartoonish violence against animals in CATS & DOGS. Pets are constantly smashing into walls, having all variety of sharp objects hurled at them, and just generally getting the crap beat out of them. I have to credit to Hayes where it’s due. I’d rather have molten lava poured into my eyes than watch “Will and Grace,” but Mr. Tinkles is a hoot. He suffers complete degradation at the hands of his owner’s maid, who stuffs him into absurd costumes, while still finding time to maintain his dignity and plan worldwide domination.Another masterful feat of production design is the headquarters of the dogs.
I can’t help it: seeing dogs using high-tech spy equipment cracks me up. They have special communication devices built into their collars. What’s not to like (besides Jeff Goldblum)? CATS & DOGS is a trippy, mile-a-minute fun factory that gets more inventive with each (non-human) scene. Kids will like it; grown-ups will be surprised how much they like it. It’s the best special effects movie I’ve seen this summer.Capone capone@aintitcoolmail.com
