Tom & Jerry – Film Review
A legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry moves into New York City’s finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner to hire Tom to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself.
As a kid, there were few things in life better than sitting in front of the television before school started and watching a couple of cartoons before heading out for the day. I used to go to a babysitter while I was in elementary school as well as my first two years of middle school in the morning, about two hours before going to school for the day.
During those two hours, my babysitter allowed me to watch any cartoon on her television and I had a blast surfing the channels and finding a show that I was in the mood for. I watched Inspector Gadget, Scooby-Doo, and one of my all-time favorites – Tom & Jerry.
There was just something incredibly funny and strangely endearing about watching these two constantly going after one other and trying to attack one another in every episode. I was fascinated by all the various ways they would try to do this and as a result, it quickly became one of my favorite cartoons as a kid.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
But strangely enough, I wasn’t overly excited when I heard about a live-action and animated-hybrid Tom & Jerry movie. Sometimes, a movie adaptation is not only unnecessary, but it’s not always a good idea. Some shows are better left off as shows, and not movies. Tim Story’s Tom & Jerry is proof that this cat and mouse duo were better off on our television screens.
I knew I was going to be in for one strange movie as soon as I saw the outlandishly weird opening sequence which depicts a group of pigeons rapping. The film seems to want to appeal to a more millennial generation with its wide assortment of modern songs that line the soundtrack but at the same time, its humor panders to the youngest of children. I honestly cannot see a kid over the age of maybe five or six finding this movie even remotely funny.
And for a Tom & Jerry movie, they really don’t do a lot of chasing each other and getting into various mishaps. That’s honestly what makes the show so much fun and why it’s such a beloved classic. It’s hilarious to see how they will try to chase each other in every episode. But here, the film focuses way too much on its human characters.
No kid is going to want to watch a Tom & Jerry movie only to find out the humans are in it more than the titular duo are. Chloë Grace Moretz’s character is incredibly dull and doesn’t really feel like she needs to be a part of this story. Moretz is a hugely talented actress and it’s always nice to see her in a movie, but this movie did not deserve her talents. She did the best with the script that she was given, which was sadly awful.
And plus the film introduces an extremely pointless and annoying wedding subplot that I don’t think anybody is going to care about, especially kids (AKA its target audience). The movie has a frustrating pattern that I noticed quite quickly too – there will be a couple of scenes where Moretz’s character Kayla is trying to do her job at the Royal Gate Hotel and then the next scene after this is a scene with either Tom or Jerry. It’s a repeat process that feels so lifeless and tedious.
I never would have thought that a Tom and Jerry movie could have possibly been this boring. This should have been a relentlessly paced and hilarious movie that reminded all of us why the television series that came before it is so great. Sadly, this new film will make you question why you were even a fan in the first place.
Overall Grade: F
MPAA Rating: PG for cartoon violence, rude humor, and brief language
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, Ken Jeong, Pallavi Sharda, Jordan Bolger, Patsy Ferran, Daniel Adegboyega, Christian Chong, Ajay Chhabra
Directed by: Tim Story
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: February 26, 2021
Running Time: 101 minutes