Tom and Jerry: The Movie
1993
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It isn't the worst of the long-squabbling duo's feature-length adventures, but Tom & Jerry is disappointingly short on the anarchic spirit of their classic shorts. Read Critics Reviews...
Disappointing reboot has lots of cartoonish violence. Read Common Sense Media's Tom & Jerry review, age rating, and parents guide.
- Tim Story
- Sandie Angulo Chen
- Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Rob Delaney
Feb 26, 2021 · ‘Tom & Jerry’ Review: Chasing the Mouse of Nostalgia. This feature-length expansion of the popular cartoon is too brainless for adults, but its kid-friendly title characters are barely...
- 101 min
- Jason Bailey
Feb 26, 2021 · Aggressively mediocre, the updated version of “Tom & Jerry” that premieres in theaters and on HBO Max today is a depressing affair, a film that reminds one of similarly hollow uses of beloved properties like “Yogi Bear” and “The Smurfs.”
- Cats and mice, fighting together... mass hysteria!
- 17 Movies That Mixed Live-Action and 2D Animation
- Verdict
By Matt Fowler
Updated: Nov 3, 2022 8:40 pm
Posted: Feb 26, 2021 8:01 am
Tom & Jerry premieres on HBO Max, and in select theaters, on February 26.
Tom and Jerry, the perpetually feuding feline and rodent who've been warring for our amusement in over 160 animated Hanna-Barbera shorts (plus numerous TV shows and movies) since 1940 -- not to mention serving as the inspiration for The Simpsons' Itchy and Scratchy -- are now starring in their own big city-set, hybrid live-action/animated adventure. And it doesn't quite hit the mark.
Filled with frequent flashes of fun, Tom & Jerry ultimately gets bogged down with an overload of, well, let's just call it humanity. In an effort to bring together the world of cartoons and real life, the headlining duo often feels sidelined, and supplemental to the story of Chloë Grace Moretz's Kayla and her schemes and scams to keep a job that she conned her way into at a luxurious Manhattan hotel. The cat and mouse vanish for long stretches of the film while Kayla's constant crucibles too often feel like they should exist elsewhere, in a different movie.
To be fair, Tom and Jerry are both non-speaking characters and it's challenging to craft a full story around that. There aren't too many hard and fast rules to this specific world, except that all animals are cartoons and, randomly, some can speak (understood by other animals and maybe some humans). It's a loose enough setting that Tom and Jerry can carry on with their chaos, with some moments nicely lifted from old routines from the shorts. There are segments of mirth that land really well but the story's a bit too choppy to maintain momentum.
As both Tom and Jerry arrive in New York and begin squabbling in Central Park (from a situation that Jerry is 100% to blame for), hustler Kayla lies her way into a temp gig at The Royal Gate, a landmark hotel that's hosting a huge celebrity wedding. Kayla's frank homespun ways endear her to many, except Peña's rigid hospitality nerd, Terrence. Through Kayla's drive to keep a job she's unqualified for, and Terrence's need to expose her as a fraud, Tom and Jerry, and their penchant for punching each other, get used as pawns in larger human plots.
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Which is the main reason they both feel underutilized. So much of what they do isn't in service of their own story. Of course, neither one's given an abundance of internal wants or needs. Jerry desires a nice, warm home and Tom dreams of - er - playing keyboard as an opening act for John Legend? Regardless, they're the thinnest part of the movie. Director Tim Story's got some interesting elements here, filling the film with tunes from old school hip hop legends like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, and the solid choice to make Jerry a super troll, but the end result is a mixed bag of good intentions, sporadically spirited moments, and an imperfect utilization of the title characters.
Tom & Jerry is a sufficient family offering with a cool cast, a sparkling soundtrack, and occasional fun. It's too bad that Tom and Jerry often feel like afterthoughts in their own film and that there wasn't much more for them to do other than serve the story of others.
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Feb 26, 2021 · ‘Tom & Jerry’ Review: The Cat-and-Mouse Rivals Wage Big-Screen Battle in This Low-Concept Outing. Warner Bros. resurrects Hanna-Barbera's inexterminable frenemies, placing them in a...
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Feb 26, 2021 · Tom & Jerry: Directed by Tim Story. With Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Tom, Jerry. A chaotic battle ensues between Jerry Mouse, who has taken refuge in the Royal Gate Hotel, and Tom Cat, who is hired to drive him away before the day of a big wedding arrives.
