Delayed Reaction: Tom & Jerry

Premise: Tom & Jerry bring their antics to a hotel preparing for the biggest wedding of the year.

 

When it comes to these live-action, pseudo-animated adaptations (Yogi Bear, Marmaduke, The Smurfs), the questions ends up being what level of engagement the main characters have with the real world. Yogi Bear settles on a talking bear being totally normal. The Smurfs let them talk to people but it does recognize that it's weird to have Smurfs in NYC/the real world. I haven't seen Marmaduke, but I'm guessing he's non-verbal and sort of like a super smart dog whose movements don't often apply to physics. These limitations dictate the type of movies they're going to be and the characters populated in it.

 

In Tom & Jerry, the titular leads are non-verbal but interact with the world as human mutes, so they need a human counter-part who involves them but isn't responsible for them. Enter Chloe Grace Moretz. Tom & Jerry is actually her movie. The cat and mouse only help her out. It's the best move the writers have available. Tom and Jerry really are characters best left in animated shorts. They barely make sense in the real world and aren't dynamic enough to carry a story. Having Moretz con her way into a job at the hotel then ruin and save the big wedding is a simple enough plot for kids and leaves a lot of room for shenanigans.

 

I don't know what to do with Chloe Grace Moretz at this point. Since aging out of "kid star" status, it's not clear where she fits best now. She's tried action and horror with mixed results. Her dramatic turn in The Miseducation of Cameron Post worked pretty well. Tom & Jerry is a step in the right direction. As a child star, I liked her the most when she was funny, and she still has those chops. She embraces the broadness Tom & Jerry requires (as does the always great Michael Pena). I'd love to see her move next to a lead role in a Neighbors: Sorority Rising kind of comedy. What I do know is that Chloe Grace Moretz is a presence I'd like to stick around in major Hollywood films.

 

This is very much a kid’s movie. Little of the humor is even subversive, which is how these films normally make it bearable for the adults. It's very authentically and unabashedly targeted at kids. It's not overflowing with familiar actors. All the ones it does gets, like Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, and Ken Jeong, are all "Yeah, I could see that" types. I'm curious how this would've fared in a non-COVID box office. It had the second highest opening weekend of the Pandemic Era box office. Does that mean it would've been a hit, or is it (and the winter dominance of the Croods sequel) just evidence that kids movies are more COVID-proof? Regardless, there's absolutely no reason that an adult needs to see this, but if you find yourself watching it anyway, it's an easy watch.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend