The star: Puss in Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas) gets his own "Shrek" spin-off adventure.Those who understand the hypnotic qualities of frolicking kittens will get the most value out of "Puss in Boots."
FILM REVIEW
'Puss in Boots'
2.5 out of 4 stars
Rated: PG for some adventure action, mild rude humor
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton
Director: Chris Miller
Run time: 90 minutes
When the title character breaks his anthropomorphic veneer to chase a flashlight beam or lap milk from a shot glass with a rapidly darting tongue, he gets the biggest laughs. Nothing fractures the bored, aloof expression of a real-life puddy like a dangling string. So it’s comforting to know the chivalrous outlaw tabby tomcat has the same amusing traits as our house/barn/yard-dwelling pets.
Although it has rampant cuteness in its corner, “Puss” suffers slightly from spin-offitis. The character, birthed in the “Shrek” series and voiced by Antonio Banderas, is privy to a passable but unmemorable origin story here. It involves master pickpocketer Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), who plays third fiddle in the film behind Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), an unlikeable, visually oogy lump of a character.
“Puss” originally was slated as a direct-to-DVD release, and it occasionally feels like it, lacking the spirited wit of the first couple of “Shreks.” I picture Dreamworks boardroom execs deciding to rejigger it for a 3-D theatrical run, then opening wide their vast Scrooge McDuck money vaults.
To be fair, the movie meets most visual standards of modern-animation gorgeousness, exhibiting a prismatic and detailed palette. But it also meets the underwhelmingly standards of modern 3-D effects. Avoid the price gouge.
Early on, Puss is established as a deceptively dangerous little thing, casting long shadows in dusty saloons. His face, pinched into its most wide-eyed, adorable and crassly, meltingly manipulative form, adorns wanted posters. This stems from his youth, when he was best pals with fellow orphan Humpty, who dreamed of finding the magic beans to grow the giant beanstalk, at the top of which dwells the goose that lays golden eggs.
Dumpty, however, took youthful indiscretion further than Puss, but nonetheless, both were deemed unsavories. In the present, the magic beans are in the possession of burly bruisers Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris), who trundle across the country with a horse-drawn carriage full of pigs, comically bickering about whether they should produce children. A Puss-Humpty reunion results in a planned bean heist and an attempt to clear Puss’ name.
The story is a clunky, familiar thing that doesn’t establish much flow, spiced slightly by director Chris Miller’s (“Shrek the Third”) now-obligatory Sergio Leone Western references, once inspired, now tired.
The dour Dumpty character is a wet blanket devouring valuable screen time, better spent on more enjoyable interactions between Puss and the Batman-caped Ms. Softpaws. The pair engages in a clever dance-duel upon meeting with dozens of her absurdly fluffy feline friends’ heads bobbing and nodding to the rhythm — followed by the kid-friendly romantic tension we expect.
At best, “Puss” finds smirk-worthy jokes in its kitty characters and the supporting color. At worst, it’s diverting family entertainment in need of a little script catnip. If it only draws cat lovers, it will do quite well at the box office. We are many and easy to please. All it takes is a meowser and a length of shoelace. I’m not sure the creators of “Puss in Boots” always recognize this.
E-mail John Serba: jserba@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johnserba