User reviews

CATS & DOGS / (2001) ** (out of four)

In "Cats & Dogs" you get a cat and mouse chase movie, except the dog replaces the mouse, and the feline's goal is not just to catch the opponent, but to claim world domination.

That's a pretty weak concept for a bid-budget, special effects action film, especially when the production features the best technology has to offer. The movie uses more than 800 visual effects, and 200 animators, designers, compositors, sculptors, and technicians. With so much going for it, "Cats & Dogs" should have utilized these tools to bring a great story to life. It does breathe life into a plot filled with energy and gusto, but it sure isn't great.

Unbeknownst to humans, cats and dogs have always fought for world domination. A power-hungry Persian cat, Mr. Tinkles (wonderfully voiced by Sean Hayes), has broken a truce between the species. He plans to lead an attack against man's best friend.

Jeff Goldblum stars as Professor Brody, a scientist allergic to dogs. He conducts experiments in the basement of his house, hoping to invent a cure for man's allergic reaction to dogs. Mr. Tinkles designates the Brody home as ground zero for his global battle plan.

Initially, the folks at Warner Bros. considered doing the film as an animated feature, but they finally decided on a combination of live action, cutting-edge technology, complicated puppetry, and computer animation.

The results are splendid. Each animal has their own vivid personality, complete with facial expressions and physical gestures. The special effects do not overwhelm the film. Lawrence Guterman, the film's director, doesn't exploit the amazing special effects, but focuses on creating believable animal characters.

Sadly, however, the sight of a talking cat eventually wears off, and that leaves "Cats & Dogs" with little interest. It might entertain children with high energy action and talking animals, but a movie cannot run on those things alone. Perhaps the film could have worked as a comedy, but it lacks any form of wit or impulse. "Cats & Dogs" thinks its concepts are funny and entertaining enough, which is probably why it puts so little thought into the story.

I thought this movie had an interesting premise to work off of- the enmity between cats and dogs. However, one problem I had with it (besides its general low quality) was the fact that the cast the cats as the criminal buffoons. (Bear with me please - I'm at least half serious). I mean, dogs as the smart ones? Come on. Cats taking over the world is believable, but casting most of them as the not-so-smart, criminal stooges was going a bit far. Cats are smarter and more, hmm, elegant than dogs. Face it, in a showdown between cats and dogs that wasn't purely reliant on mass or strength, cats would own the dogs.

Now if they had cast the dogs as the villains of the piece...that would be better. Cats like the position they're in - pampered and very little required of them- why go to the trouble of taking over and running the world when it already serves you? Another thing- dogs are the ones who chase the cats, very rarely the other way around- bit of insecurity or jealousy perhaps? Dogs also often have to actually perform, exercise, do handy things or otherwise. If they would play it as the dogs trying to oust all the freeloading superior cats....that could have been real fun.

I found this to be a movie full of unrealistic stunts, odd situations and weird looking puppets that only a 10 year old would believe. Cats, who fly airplanes, cough up spiky hairballs and fight karate. There were dogs who live in doghouses that are filled with computers and satellite hook-ups, that also provide shuttle transportation to "Control". I went into this movie expecting Shrek, and came out disappointed.

A word of warning-This is NOT a movie for cat lovers. Cats are portrayed as the typical villain, obsessed with world domination. While dogs are made out to be the heroes who not only save the world from allergies but also rescue the humans. If you're looking for meowing fluff balls that save the day, you're watching the wrong movie. *** out of *****

I loved this movie, from the diverse animal characters, to their human counterparts, to the amazingly funny dialogue! I've seen it about 10 times, and it's still one of my favorite movies! (and I'm no spring chicken...I'm in my 50's) Some animal movies aren't worth seeing more than once or twice, but this one is worth seeing many times! It won't go down in history as a classic, but it certainly puts you in a good mood and keeps you there!

I love dogs, especially beagles, and the one in this movie ("Lou") is just adorable! Tobey Maguire is the perfect voice for him, and Sean Hayes is hysterically funny as Mr. Tinkles' voice! The writers should have gotten several awards for the script! Jeff Goldblum is always good, so it's no surprise that his character, Professor Brody, suits him to a tee. Everyone plays off each other very well, and the storyline is original and appealing. I love the fact that Charlton Heston plays the voice of the mastiff at Headquarters! Very well cast!

I hope they do a sequel, with all the original actors & voices! Oh yeah, did I mention how great Susan Sarandon was, as "Ivy" ???

Bravo to all these actors, and to the director, the writers, and the producer!

At three times during this movie I seriously considered walking out (which I have never done). Why did I stay? I guess I hoped it would take a turn for the better. Needless to say, it didn't... it only got worse.

I think the reason I hated this movie so much is that I wanted it to be something else. I wanted an original take on this ancient rivalry, instead of the standard "cats bad, dogs good". (Forget an original story, I just wanted a marginally good one.) I wanted the animals to be real characters, treated with respect and earning our emotional reactions, instead of being used as props - hurt, tossed around, put into scary situations - to manipulate our emotions.

That it's a "kid's movie" is no excuse. What an insult! Kids don't deserve quality entertainment? Movies have to be dumbed down for the kid audience??

If you can handle watching a disturbing, strange, disconnected family (and not in a good/funny way), a squirmingly bad kid actor, some very ugly cats, sloppy editing, and as many cliches as you could ever want, then go see this movie. There are one or two clever moments, and some of the people around me did seem to enjoy it. But make sure you catch it on dollar night.

Cats and Dogs was a pretty entertaining film. I will admit it I think kids will enjoy it more than adults, but it is fun. It has a silly but clever plot, a commendable voice cast and some decent acting in the human cast. While there are some funny moments, there are some parts in the middle half that are lacking slightly in comedy, and the script is a tad weak in parts. Despite the film's short length, it goes along at a swift pace, and the characters are at least likable. I have to say Lou(voiced with earnest conviction by Tobey Maguire) is adorable for a dog, and while you certainly don't want to mess with villainous feline Mr Tinkles (Sean Hayes seems to having a whale of a time here), though he is cute to look at. I have to say I think the best lines came from Mr Tinkles, they were often hysterical. As I said, the voice cast do a commendable job with the material they are given, and Jeff Goldblum and Elizabeth Perkins turn in decent human performances as well. The technical aspects are very well done indeed, and the music is good. Laurence Guterman does well directing, better than he did in the dreadful Son of the Mask four years later. All in all, not perfect, but it is cute and has a great concept. Kids will love it, adults might. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I've just whatched this on video after renting it from the video shop and i just have to get my frustration out of my system. IT'S A DISGUSTING FILM. Apart from some impressive(if a bit cartoony)visual effects,cats and dogs is about as much fun as having one's pubic hair plucked out by a pair of pliers. It has none of the charm,intellegence or the captivating story of babe(or the underrated paule)all it has is dumb jokes about poo and cheep sentimentality. Also the slapstick is surprising violent. And what the hell is jeff goldblum doing sluming it as a bofin who descovers a cure for dogie odder.(or something like that,i lost interest by then) The novelty of seeing cats and dogs walk,talk and fight wears off after two minutes,so whatch the trailer instead. If you whatch the film you will only be depressed at the amount of misery these poor animal's look like they are going through just for the sake of cheep,nasty,moronic entertainment.

one star out of five

p.s not even my dog was interested. After twenty minutes,my dog fell asleep in front of the fire. All human's should folow suit.

I personally thought Cats and Dogs was really good. The espionage war between the cats and the dogs was an inspired, if not so original idea, and the fight scenes were hugely amusing - the ninja cats had me in stitches, to say the least. The way Mr. Tinkles suddenly finds a way to make his plan succeed is a little rushed - how did the fainting of his owner suddenly change everything? There are several plot holes in this film, and a little more explanation wouldn't have done harm. But this film didn't try to be intelligent or gripping - it's basically the Cold War with pets for most of the film, but with a climactic finish in which everything is suddenly resolved and all the baddies are ruined. Even if it is not a corkingly intelligent piece of cinema, it sure is an amusing one, and it isn't badly done either. In fact, the climactic finish is brilliantly done and very amusing - machine guns are replaced by spraying machines, and bombs are replaced by spraying machines too (you'll see what I mean). It stays funny throughout, and it is amusing to see how all of the espionage happens behind all the humans' backs. Even if it does make human beings out to be a bunch of idiots who could quite easily be invaded by animals, this is still a great film which will tickle anyone's funnybone (unless you're a cruel, heartless critic of course...) 7/10

'Cats and Dogs' is probably best described as a children's comedy film about the never-ending struggle between cats and dogs. In this film, however, dogs are considered the cool heroes while cats are considered the enemies. That said, this film would probably be enjoyed more by those of you who prefer canine company to the company of felines.

There isn't much for adults, and I think children will be a little bit lost in some of the technology and dialogue. However, children will probably enjoy some of the humour (which is really immature but not nearly as bad as Fox's dialogue in 'The Incredible Journey' remake in the late 1980s or early 1990s) and the constant action throughout the film.

I personally would not recommend this film over the hundreds of other films out there that are so much better.

This was a pretty clever film mixing live characters and human voices for the dogs and cats. The dubbing is extremely well-done, and so is the humor. It's a funny story, although it displays the typical whacked-out father, which is another political correctness feminist agenda (mother = good; father = bad). Other than that, it is a very entertaining film even with a bunch of silliness.

Check the cast out. How often to you see Susan Sarandon and Charleton Heston in the same movie. Now THERE is diversity, even if it's only their voices!

People here complain the film is too much for kids, and not adults. Well, isn't that terrible? Imagine the nerve of these filmmakers, doing something just for children!

Was that it? A cute little film for kids? Saturday afternoon Disney Channel stuff?

Oh please... judging by the trailer I thought this movie will be ... at least FUN.

But it wasn't.

It was not as bad as Tomb Raider or Pearl Harbor or all the other major disappointments this summer but is wasn't very good.

I have seen Budweiser commercials with the same special effects when it comes to talking animals, so nothing special here.

Jeff Goldblum was annoying (wasn't his fault, he was pretty much the same as always; the script ruined it), Elizabeth Perkins looked good, nothing else, I hated the kid and the story lacked good ideas.

Also, why did they have the lights on in the trailer when it comes to the Matrix cats, but had the lights OFF in the film, so you could hardly see anything?

Again, I have to say this: the trailers nowadays take too much away.

What I like about the movie:

Little. The music (John Debney) was an amusing odd version of Mission:Impossible. Funny and pleasing. But why the hell did they have a piece of Chicken Run (John Powell & Harry Gregson-Williams) at the end?

By the way, if you are about to see the film: try to count the continuity problems. I gave up after an hour!

'nough said

Why can't people just let a movie be cute instead of analyzing it to death. Sure the plot is a bit much--cats are trying to prevent a Mr. Brody from inventing a vaccine which will cure dog allergies--thus making dogs more popular than cats. With a "Mission Impossible" format dogs and cats battle each other for domination of the world.

The plots gets carried away with itself toward the end, but who cares?

The dog and cat agents are all good (their voices, excuse me). Especially, good is the voice of the persian cat, Mr. Twiggles, whose owner is bedridden. The housekeeper/nurse makes Mr. Twiggles' life a horror by continually dressing him in feminine outfits which he hates.

Another favorite is Lou, the beagle puppy who is adopted by the Brody family and is drafted as a secret agent in the war against cats.

I gave this movie 8 stars.

This movie is so cute! It's all about the eternal fight between cats and dogs. (And it's funny to notice that cats are always the bad ones) We have famous actors as Jeff Goldblum as Professor Brody and Elizabeth Perkins as Mrs. Brody. The famous voices are from Tobey Maguire as Lou,Alec Baldwin as Butch and Susan Sarandon as Ivy,only to mention a few. The story is kind of simple: Professor Brody is trying to find a formula to cure the people's allergies to dogs, being himself one example of an allergic person to them. The cats of course, are worried about this,because the cure of the allergy would make dogs even more popular among humans,making the cats rejected. The story turns around Lou and his dog spy friends,who needs to protect the formula and also save Lou's owners of the evil cats. Ps: The dogs have a high tech technnology to cause all the humans jealous. ps2:Ivy,rules. ps3:Mr.tinckles is hilarious.

I have to admit, I was looking forward to seeing this film on evidence of the gag-packed, sometimes hysterically funny trailer. Imagine my dissappointment then, upon seeing the film, when I realised that all the best jokes were the ones already included in the trailer.

Cats and Dogs isn't an awful film, it's just not a particularly good one. Kids under thirteen will love it, so it wasn't an entirely pointless exercise, but for anyone over that age, there is little to captivate. The storyline is uninspired (and in my opinion, a little too complex for the very young), the sentimentality is sickening, and even the much-hyped CG effects are painfully bad in places.

There's solid voicework from the actors, with Tobey Maguire on excellent form as wannabe secret agent Lou, but the human actors (Geoff Goldblum, take a bow) play it straight when they should have gone for laughs.

So will the fur fly? Well, no. But it may moult slightly.

Scientist Brody is working on a formula that will wipe out dog allergies, thus making dogs the most popular pets on earth. When the dog agent protecting the house is kidnapped he is accidentally replaced by an untrained puppy Lou. Lou is trained up with the help of Butch, Peeps, Ivy and Sam. However with Mr Tinkles chasing the formula and Lou growing near to his family - can the formula be protected?

This had great potential - a good plot, a really strong cast and a good opportunity for children and adult jokes alike. The plot delivers what it has - a little silly but quite clever in places - but the comedy is seriously lacking for adults. For children there are some fart jokes and plenty of cat and dog slapstick but there are almost no jokes for adults that other films such as Shrek and Toy Story had in spades.

Given the cast this is very surprising - Jon Lovitz is a great voice but is hardly used at all, the character of Mr Tinkles could have been a great Dr Evil character, but even he is wasted. This is a great shame as all good children's films need to have something for adults to enjoy again. The great cast (Maguire, Baldwin, Clarke Duncan, Sarandon, Pantoliano, Charlton Heston, Lovitz) is a good draw for adults but having almost nothing to deliver for them is a big disappointment. The only funny scenes are the ninja cats and a handful of others but mostly it's wasted. The human actors are bland - Goldblum playing a scatty scientist? Surely not! That'll really push his barriers.

Overall a disappointing film that'll please children but needed a lot more work to keep adults entertained.

From the commercials and trailers to this movie, I thought it was going to be a live action (albiet long) cartoon. I was right, although I found out what cartoon it was trying to do. Not exactly Looney Tunes, although it takes from them often. I found a connection here with an old show from Nickelodeon called Ren and Stimpy where cats and dogs fought constantly, and while the dog was the smart one, the cat who also though he was smart was really and idiot (eediot really). That's why I give Cats and Dogs it's rating here because this is the type of family film that more often than not can work for the whole family because while the kids can laugh at the pratfalls the dogs and cats encounter, adults will find humor in the ninja cats, the dictator-like-boss cat and other small things. Like Spy Kids, it's more for kids, which I Highly reccomend this movie for, but maybe even parents will get a chuckle. I know I did. Voices include Tobey Maguire, Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes, Michael Clarke Duncan, Joe Pantoliano, Susan Sarandon, Jon Lovitz and almost un-recognizable talents from Robert Stack and Sir Charleton Heston. B+ (strong one at that)

There`s a train of thought that cats are evil creatures silently biding their time to replace mankind as the planet`s dominant species . Utter nonsense of course though I can`t help noticing that when a cat stares at a human it`s almost like the cat is reading the person`s mind . Slightly creepy . I`ve got to confess that I can`t stand dogs which is mainly down to the owners letting a dog do what dogs do naturally . It`s no joke walking along the pavements of a Scottish island watching where you put your feet as carefully as you would walking through the mine strewn countryside of Afghanistan or Bosnia . In fact you find yourself hating dogs and that people who keep dogs are the lowest form of species on the planet . This what I disliked about this film : Dogs = good . Cats = bad

That said feline phobia was the only thing I disliked about CATS AND DOGS . Boy what a pitch that must have been " It`s about the pussy revolution that`s under way " The cats are taking over and only the canine commadoes can save us " Man I bet a few Hollywood shrinks had an emergency call at that sales pitch , but it`s nice to know that some producer managed to stop laughing long enough to consider making this film because CATS AND DOGS is a very entertaining family film . It`s also nice to see a film that`s not overlong .

Just don`t confuse this movie with STRAW DOGS or there will be trouble

This movie was absolutely moronic. It wasn't funny, it wasn't cute and it wasn't even able to entertain our ten year old. Even renting this on video is a waste of money, your much better off with more standard family movies. This is strictly a personal opinion and I'm sure others will have different views.

I thought this movie was going to be only a movie for the kids, but I watched it with my cousins, and I was surprised. I laughed a lot. It had some really cute and hilerious moments. And Jeff Goldblum is in it! What more could you want? If you don't mind a little cute humor, I'd recommend "Cats & Dogs".

7/10

From the trailer, it really looks like a fun little movie. I was expecting a cute adventure similar to Stuart Little or Toy Story. Boy, was I in for it. The only good parts of the movie were included in the trailer. Everything else was dry, slow-moving, and TERRIBLE!

I Hatteeeee This movie. I hate every retarded dog who thinks there some sort of spy or sh*t. Its disgusting and unnatural. I was forced to see this movie in theaters and i seriously was about to stick my face in my soda and drown slowly because it would be Way better then seeing this putrid movie to the end.Its not like this movie was bad enough but yet again The directors decides to make the dogs spy's. i Hatee spy dog movies.And why are the cats evil. last time i checked cats were houshold pets too not wild animals. And the humans in this movie just completely angered me off. If i found out my dog was a SPY. i would act just a little shocked which they don't. this is by far the WORST movie ever created. Don't Watchhh! .

When watching this, I am reminded of my childhood memories, such as the lines that I used to quote in this movie ("No, I think not, Sophie!").

Basically, the plot is that Professor Brody, played by Jeff Goldblum, is trying to find a cure for Dog allergies. This is just the latest spark in the on-going conflict that is between cats and dogs. Mr. Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes), the antagonist in the film, needs the research, as he wants to take over the world, by making everybody allergic to dogs. So, now it's up to a Beagle named Lou (voiced by Tobey Maguire), an Anatolian Shepherd Dog named Butch (voiced by Alec Baldwin), a Saluki named Ivy (voiced by Susan Sarandon), a Chinese Crested Dog named Peek (voiced by Joe Pantoliano), and an Old English Sheepdog named Sam (voiced by Michael Clark Duncan) to save the world.

This is a fun film. Period. End of story. I think it at least deserves a 6/10, but I'm going even higher than that. This was a movie that I watched during my childhood, so no, I'm not going to hate. Those people who analyze this movie do not understand that this is only supposed to be entertainment. I've also heard some complaints about Cats being the bad guys; I think that the reason for this is because of the idea that dogs are man's best friend. If I was a cat, I'd be jealous of that for sure.

The acting in front of the character is great (Goldblum is good at pretty much everything he does), but if anything, it's the voice acting that's the best thing about this movie. Maguire, Baldwin, Sarandon, Pantoliano, and Duncan all do a great job as the main dogs in this film. Hayes is great as the villain. Jon Lovitz is great as his sidekick. But, to a lot of people's surprise, this film also includes...wait for it... Charlton Heston as the the mastiff, the leader of the dog agents. That's right, you heard that last part right.

Overall, it's characters and plot may not be the best, but the acting and the special effects are all great. At the end of the day, it's nothing more than a fun, family film, and that's all that it should be. A 9/10 for me.

Geez... this movie is the worst movie I saw this year. It's on even par with Battlefield Earth. The preview is all that is need to be seen for this movie flop. I am going to hate myself for making myself go see the movie at the theaters. It's not even worth a rental. Stay away from this movie like the plague!