Film Reviews

Cats and Dogs

• Rating:
• Director: Lawrence Guterman.
• Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins, Alexander Pollock, Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes.
• Details: US / 87 mins /(G).

Dogs hate cats and cats hate dogs, right? Of course, but according to Cats and Dogs it doesn't stop there. Instead there's a violent struggle raging between these two species. Leading the charge for the hounds is Lou (voiced by Maguire), an eager beagle, who gets involved when he's brought into the house of Dr Brody (Goldblum). The doctor is working on a serum for those suffering an allergic reaction to dogs and Lou has been drafted in as guard dog. Meanwhile Mr Tinkles, a crazed Persian cat bent on world domination, is determined to put a stop to this experiment . While there's no mistaking the targeted demographic of Cats and Dogs, it's one of the more engaging kids movies this side of Shrek. Brimming with special effects and high tech gadgetry, it's a visual feast for younger viewers - even if the humour doesn't quite exploit its potential. Older viewers may winch at the sentimental subplot and some of the predictable gags, but ultimately it's difficult not to like Cats and Dogs.

Review by Garreth Murphy