In a world where human beings live among animated animals, Tom and Jerry are up to no good, causing problems for the residents of Manhattan. Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is struggling to find her place in this crazy world, has landed herself a prestigious position at one of the city's best hotels. During an event of great proportions–the wedding of the famed Preeta (Pallavi Sharda) and Ben (Colin Jost)--Tom and Jerry do their thing and wreak havoc on the hotel, the event, and everyone involved. It quickly becomes Kayla’s job to curb the issues taking place and find a resolution between Tom and Jerry before she loses her job and her life is ruined.
Bringing the fan-favorite Tom and Jerry to the big screen makes perfect sense for today’s Hollywood. Many films use recycled material to entice viewers and find success. This business model isn’t horrible as nostalgia often kicks in and permits viewers to find solace in familiar faces. Tom and Jerry is not the success story that fans of the cat and mouse (that have been around since the 1940’s) had been hoping for. In this rendition of the wily tandem, secondary stories of love and ambition take precedence over the duo that viewers were looking forward to falling in love with all over again. This may seem harsh, but fans of Tom and Jerry don’t care about Kayla, Preeta, or Ben. No one turned on Tom and Jerry hoping for a riveting love story or to hear the aspirations of a twenty-something girl; they wanted to see the hysterics of an animated cat and mouse, and sadly, there wasn’t much of that present in the film.
Even in the worst films there is something to appreciate, for Tom and Jerry that is the music. The music is brilliant; it’s upbeat, rhythmic, and generally entertaining. This is about the only thing that keeps viewers' interest piqued throughout the course of the film. Waiting for the next song, whether it’s by T-Pain, Anderson .Paak, or DJ Shadow, is what kept me engaged from beginning to end. The story, constructed by Kevin Costello, the direction by Tim Story, and the acting by nearly the entire cast fail to entertain viewers, but Christopher Lennertz, the man in charge of Tom and Jerry’s soundtrack, finds a way to pull through and demand some sense of appreciation. He starts the film off strong with “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest and ends just as powerfully with “CUT EM IN” by Anderson .Paak and Rick Ross, permitting viewers at least one thing to appreciate throughout the dreaded Tom and Jerry.
As Tom and Jerry plays out, fans of the original series, or any installment of the wonderfully witty mouse and clumsy cat find more and more to dislike. Different characters from the various installments make appearances in Tom and Jerry, and, at times, the film simply feels overcrowded. The jokes falling flat, the attempted inclusion of dialogue discussing diversity (this fails in two ways: 1. Keep the political content out of children’s films and 2. It often feels that the film is poking fun at the push for diversity, surely antagonizing certain viewers), and the story which hardly revolves around these lovely animated creatures creates a disconnect between viewers and Story’s film.
I truly believe that William Hanna and Joseph Barbera turn in their graves each and every time someone plays this tragic film. This is not representative of the Tom and Jerry they had birthed nearly a century ago, and the changes made to their story are nothing short of dismal–so dismal, in fact, that nostalgia isn’t enough to garner any appreciation from long-time fans. Do yourself a favor, don’t spoil the memory of Tom and Jerry with this nauseating film and don’t introduce these beloved characters to a new generation of potential fans in this fashion. Stick to the originals, you’re much better off that way.
Directed by Tim Story.
Written by Kevin Costello, William Hanna, & Joseph Barbera.
Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Tom, Jerry, Jordan Bolger, Rob Delaney, Patsy Ferran, Pallavi Sharda, Colin Jost, etc.
⭐⭐½/10
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