A Cat and Mouse Movie with No Claws

 Despite a few fun sequences, “Tom and Jerry” is a plodding, mostly soulless affair. Even at 101 minutes, this live-action animated hybrid overstays its welcome. Its biggest flaw is that the film focuses too much on its human actors instead of the movie’s namesakes. 

“Tom and Jerry” takes place in a world in which animals are 2D cartoons and humans are, for lack of a better term, regular old humans. At the start, Jerry — he’s the mouse, if you’ve forgotten — is apartment hunting (or den hunting). Jerry’s problem is that he can’t afford much. 

During a stroll through Central Park, Jerry spots Tom playing an electric piano. The wily feline is busking, while pretending to be blind to up his donations. Jerry, seeing a chance to earn some extra cash, starts breakdancing to Tom’s music, syphoning off the cat’s money. Tom retaliates against Jerry and in the process his piano is broken — and thus the feud begins. Tom chases Jerry into a nearby hotel, but is unable to get inside to exact his revenge. Conversely, Jerry finds his new home.

Meanwhile, Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz), a temp at the hotel, is tasked with discreetly ridding the business of the mouse. Who does she turn to? You guessed it, Tom. There’s a lot more here, including a fancy wedding and Kayla scamming her way into her job, but none of it is worth more detail. What’s important to know is that Tom and Jerry are at odds in a 5-star hotel.

What holds “Tom and Jerry” back is that there isn’t nearly enough of the duo in it. And because of this, there is a lack of imaginative confrontations. There are, perhaps, two truly entertaining bits. The first involves Tom trying and repeatedly failing to cross an electric powerline. The second is a Rube Goldberg mouse trap. Instead of focusing on the physical comedy that made the original cartoon work, this new adaptation focuses on Kayla’s relationship with the various hotel staff. 

Adding to the film's downfall is a visual blahness and surprisingly dated movie references. The cast wears hospitality garb, which is dark, bland, and unobtrusive — none of which makes good viewing. As far as references go, there are nods to “Mission Impossible,” “The Matrix,” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” I don’t even need to tell you which scenes from these movies “Tom and Jerry” riffs on, you know them because a million other comedies have also done the same exact thing. 

Do yourself a favor, revisit the original cartoons and skip this milquetoast version of the beloved characters. — David (@itsmedavidcross)