Puss in Boots | Film Review

It’s funny to think how much mileage the original Shrek got out of poking fun at Disney. At this point, when it comes to tie-in merchandising and cash-grab creative decisions, is there any discernible difference between the Empire of the Ogre and the Mouse House it once skewered? Having squeezed every possible penny out of its mean green monster, DreamWorks now drops a spotlight on its most popular second-stringer, the whiskered, swashbuckling lothario introduced in Shrek 2. The little guy’s secret weapon was always those enormous, pleading peepers, and in many ways this starring vehicle plays the same angle. If the mere sight of a cat with leather footwear puts you in stitches, boy does Puss in Boots have your number.

Antonio Banderas reprises the title role, curling his tongue flamboyantly around each purred come-on and groan-inducing pun. Even with a full feature at his disposal, the actor proves incapable of transforming this one-note character into more than the plush-doll Zorro parody he’s always been. Teamed with an estranged surrogate brother (Zach Galifianakis’s Humpty Dumpty) and a slinky feline fatale (Salma Hayek’s Kitty Softpaws), Puss goes plundering for magic beans and golden eggs. Save one eye-popping voyage to the clouds, his adventure remains purely earthbound, though give the writers credit for easing up on the constant pop-culture riffage. This is DreamWorks Animation we’re talking about—you want to toss them a treat just for not coughing up a hair ball.