Cats
& Dogs:
The Revenge of Kitty Galore
If there ever was an unnecessary sequel, this would be it. The first Cats
& Dogs came out in 2001! Did you remember it starred Jeff
Goldblum and Elizabeth Perkins? Are they even working actors anymore?
Worse yet, this is a sequel aimed at kids who weren't even born when
the first one came out.
I'm kind of ashamed that I laughed as much as I did.
James Marsden provides the voice of Diggs - a German Shepherd police
dog who plays by his own rules (he's a rebel, a loner, he's nothing but
trouble). Of course, this leads to all sorts of trouble and Diggs gets
booted off the force, and sent back to the dreaded, soul sucking
kennel.
However, the canine's cavalier attitude and gumption have drawn the
attention of Lou the Beagle (Neil Patrick Harris) - the head of a
secret dog spy group that tries to protect mankind (and, I think he's
supposed to be the same Lou the Beagle from the first Cats &
Dogs, but does anyone remember that? Is it really all that
important? It's not like they have Cats & Dogs Conventions
where the actors show up and answer questions for cash while signing
autographs).
Lou has only a few days to stop Kitty Galore (Bette Midler) - an out of
control cat who has developed some sort of "Call of the Wild" that will
drive dogs insane, and allow her to take control over humans. He
decides to recruit Diggs and pair him up with the best field agent dogs
have, Butch (Nick Nolte, who must be doing this for the bail money).
Can Butch and Diggs find Kitty Galore and stop her from unleashing the
Call of the Wild?
Can Diggs learn how to become a doggie super spy and team player?
How many animal puns can you pack into one screenplay?
This entire enterprise almost is like taking the best ornaments money
can buy and putting them on a Christmas tree so sad even Charlie Brown
would reject it.
At its core, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore isn't
much to get excited about. However, director Brad Peyton and writers
Ron J Friedman and Steven Bencich make the movie palatable by tossing
in some allusions to 1970's James Bond movies, and benefit from
performances that are much better than the words written on the page.
Midler is deliciously evil in a surprisingly limited role. She still
has one of the lead roles, but everything else is so bland and
familiar, I wish we could have had more of her chewing the scenery and
busting out. Nolte is along for the ride. Marsden does what he can, but
needs better material, and Katt Williams, as a fast talking pigeon
informant, is hyperactive and becomes annoying.
While most of the humor is silly and slapsticky for kids, the best
moments stand out for anyone who is over the age of 8 years old and
gets the joke, even when the team includes some famous movie lines we
have heard over and over again. Unfortunately, most of this is negated
by the super cheap puppetry that is cheap for saving money's sake, not
for campy effect. We should be getting Hollywood level special effects,
not rejects from Build-A-Bear.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
is designed to make kids giggle and animal lovers coo, while parents
can enjoy the very awesome 3D Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon at
the beginning, then get some sleep for the next hour or so.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is
rated PG for animal action and humor.
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