But it won’t make you want to scratch the furniture either.As far as full-length theatrical feature films go, the bar was set so low due to the horrible 1992 movie titled Tom and Jerry: The Movie, which is notorious for being the lowest point in the franchise because it broke Tom & Jerry rule #1: DO NOT MAKE THEM TALK. Granted this pic won’t leave anyone purring to beat the band. By the time the credits started to roll, I even found myself feeling a bit nostalgic.
Hey, there’s even some solid advice here for social-media addicts to stop needlessly comparing themselves to all those seemingly successful Insta influencers online. And younger viewers will gain from light encouragements to get along, as this reboot emphasizes learning from and listening to one another, and working together. The human leads learn lessons from their poor choices. There are indeed some fun moments in the cat-and-mouse antics. Once I settled in and decided not to give it all up for a catnap, I found some things that were worth sticking around for. And the fact that the animated “stars” of the film are relegated to silent supporting roles in someone else’s story-and a fairly unimaginative and ho-hum one at that-had me feeling like the filmmakers were clawing their way up the wrong cat-scratch post. Tom, who’s constantly getting thumped about by an irritating Jerry, feels a little more violent in this modern era than you might expect. The now-familiar blend of live action and frantic animation chases its own tail a little too often. Things start off here with a flyover of New York City that’s underscored by A Tribe Called Quest’s hip-hop tune, “Can I Kick It?” And that definitely let’s viewers know right out of the dog gate that this isn’t your grandfather’s Tom and Jerry.įrom there, things admittedly feel a bit odd. And he’s forced by a gang of heavy-fisted alley cats to put Jerry in his mouth and told to chew him (though he doesn’t). For instance, Tom gobbles a large fish, pulling the skeletal remains out of his mouth.
Heavy objects, such as bowling balls and baseball bats, get bashed down on heads and fingers hot irons smash faces characters face-plant on walls and floors windows and glass ceilings are shattered characters are electrocuted and teeth are spit out.Īnimals eating other animals is also occasionally a part of the cartoon mix here. At several points those squabbles become a destructive whirlwind of action that unleashes scenery-chewing havoc that includes smashing into windows, doors and walls as well as drawing humans into the swirling, head-thumping mix. On several different occasions, Tom and Jerry chase, smash and slam their way around a room, lobby or hallway in the hotel, destroying things as they go.Īnd other animated critters-including a large bulldog, a pair of elephants, a tiger and a small menagerie of other animals-get in on the brawling action, too. And though all of the different animal characters are at some point pummeled or bounced around, Tom tends to always be the one who gets the worst of it-even when he is essentially an innocent bystander. When you mix a smart little mouse and an aggressive cat into a huge elaborate wedding featuring elephants, exotic birds and a tiger … someone could well end up in the doghouse.Ĭomedic cartoon hijinks, pratfalls and violence abound. So, Kayla hires a local cat named Tom, whom she recently stumbled across, to help her exterminate that little furry annoyance. After all, if somebody noticed a scurrying rodent-aka Jerry the mouse-during the biggest event of the season, it could cause havoc with the hotel’s reputation. Her first big job? She needs to take care of a little mouse issue that just popped up in the famous hotel. And after stealing someone else’s résumé, Kayla gets hired as part-time staff. It turns out that the wedding of the century-between super-rich Indian heiress, Preeta and her wealthy American boyfriend, Ben-is about to take place at the Royal Gate hotel. Soon, all three of them intersect at a really swanky hotel in the heart of the city. But finding employment and success isn’t as easy as it looks on Instagram. Young twentysomething Kayla is trying to make her way there, too. Of course, they’re not the only ones trying to nibble out a living in the Big Apple. And Jerry wants, well, he’d be happy with a nice little mouse hole, a bit of cheese and a semi-decent view. Tom hopes his piano-playing chops might earn him a bit of scratch. Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse are both moving to New York City.