Gordon & Barbara in Paris

Gordon & Barbara in Paris
Here's Looking at YOU

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Puss In Boots

PUSS IN BOOTS—Directed by Chris Miller/Written by Charles Perrault (character), Brian Lynch, and 3 more credits /Staring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis/PG/90 min.

B) What can I say about Puss in Boots? I just love Puss. He doesn’t have to do anything. I just think he is the cutest, most infectious little creature and when he opens his mouth to speak I am totally hooked. Therefore, I might be might a little bias. I could sit and watch his expressions all day. The other characters were mediocre by comparison, but there were some memorable puns. When Humpty is address by a scornful Puss, Puss uses his middle name, just as a parent might. He calls him Humpty Alexander Dumpty. It gives a whole new meaning to the character and the relationship. Puss's attempted hypnotic spell is also hilarious. Overall though, the story was not all that important. For me, it was all about Puss, played by Antonio Banderas. I don’t usually do this, but I give an animated feature four binoculars.

G) Come on, think about it. A tiny kitten with huge eyes mews through a few scenes then, when he demonstrates he CAN speak English, this baby cat opens his mouth and speaks with the Spanish accent of Antonio Banderas. Every time I think about that, I smile. Whoever thought to have Antonio Banderas as the voice of Puss in Boots is a genius. In fact, I was much more impressed with the whole film than Barbara, even though she already gave it a four. I thought Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Dumpty and Salma Hayek as Kitty Soft Paws were also perfectly cast. As for the story? Well, I think a lot of time was spent on making standard children’s storybook characters interesting to adults and there was enough hidden in the one liners that it worked for me. I also loved, for instance, when a young Puss brings home a unconscious bird to his adopted mother because he cannot express his gratitude in any other way except to be the cat that he is. Now, Barbara is a hard nut to crack. She’s gone out of her way to avoid most animated films except Shrek, and that led her to her affair with Puss. She even waited over sixty years to see The Wizard of Oz because it was “almost animated.” I still believe that the voice of Antonio Banderas (I sometimes go around the house saying out loud, with a Spanish accent...Antonio Bandares, Antonio Banderas, Antonio Banderas) is the key factor for her review, and I have to admit, it’s mine as well. PLEASE don’t let this film compete with a live action movie for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year, but three binoculars is my summation and that gives us an average of three and a half binocs.

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