Who's In It?

Jeff Goldblum as Professor Brody, Elizabeth Perkins as Mrs. Brody, with the voices of Alec Baldwin, Michael Clarke Duncan, Tobey Maguire, and more.

Who Made It?

Lawrence Guterman

Where's The Web site?
Cats and Dogs

What's It About?

Lou is just your average farm dog that is looking for adventure.  Lou is looking for a place to go and experience the world.  When Professor Brody's dog is dog napped by some feisty felines, it is time to find a new dog, and Lou is the choice.  But what Lou doesn't realize, is that he is shuffling his way into a top secret mission that the dogs need him to complete.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tinkles is power hungry and will do anything to stop Professor Brody's work.  He'll send in the best agents that the cats have to offer, from the Russian to the ninjas, this is war.  This is the war between the cats and the dogs...so who do you think RULES, the Cats or the Dogs?

Common Guy's Thoughts

The story of Cats and Dogs is no different than the classic battle we have all seen through the years.  There has been the Hatfields and the McCoys, Bugs versus Daffy, Road Runner versus Wile E Coyote and so many other classic feuds.  Cats don't like dogs, and dogs don't like cats.  So we have come to the ultimate battle, the war to keep the professor from discovering the ultimate in allergy relief that prevents the human allergy to dogs.  If this would be discovered it would be devastating to cats everywhere.  It's a fun plot.  Watching this film follows a neat story that is perfect for kids .

The voice casting is very nice, especially in the Lou character with Tobey Maguire, who combines the innocence of the youthful pup with the savvy of a new "agent".  But it isn't the voice talents that make the movie.  It is the animals themselves, coupled with some help from some CG effects. The creative use of a number of animals makes the movie fun.  For the dogs we use a pocket Beagle (Lou), an Anatolian shepherd (Butch) and others.  For the cats we see a white Persian (Mr. Tinkles) plus a team of Devon Rexes as the ninjas.  Within these characters stands the fun of this movie.

Overall, however, this film falls short from an adult point of view.  I was watching for the time to end, as although it was fun, it had run its course.  I believe that for kids, this film will be a lot more fun.  And as a family film you could definitely do much worse than Cats and Dogs.  Who are you rooting for?  I can just say...DOGS RULE.

Grade

C adults (that's me) B kids

Parents Guide

Rated PG for animal action and humor.  Overall this is a very tame film for the whole family to enjoy.  The kids will like the film and there is very little for mom and dad to worry about the kids seeing.
 

Back to Now in Theaters Page
Back to Now on Video Page
Back to Home Page