“The egg betrayed me!” practically sums up the swashbuckling adventure that is “Puss in Boots.”
Dreamworks’ prequel to the “Shrek” franchise is fueled by the amusingly vain feline, affectionately known as Puss. The film offers an amusing look into the past of the title character from the time he was a little orphan kitten in the Mexican town of San Ricardo. Puss’ childhood friend Humpty Alexander Dumpty is hopelessly devoted to a life of crime and, in particular, a search for magic beans. These magic beans will lead him to a castle in the clouds that holds, you guessed it, tremendous treasure.
When Puss becomes the town hero after saving the commandant’s mother from a bull that Humpty accidently set loose, their paths begin to diverge. Humpty eventually betrays Puss and frames him as a criminal. While Puss escapes, Humpty is put in jail for quite a long time. The flashback story of the feisty feline’s background is narrated by the cat himself, but when the story snaps out of its flashback, Puss is in search of a score to pay off the money he is accused of stealing from the people of San Ricardo.
Puss hears of a set of magic beans that he and Humpty had dreamed about for years during their childhood. When he attempts to steal the beans from the hilariously hillbilly-ish Jack and Jill, he is thwarted by Kitty Soft Paws. It is later revealed that Kitty is working for a newly-freed Humpty Dumpty.
After much persuasion, Puss resolves to join forces with Humpty. The quest to retrieve the magic beans is in full force, and through their adventure they discover the treasure of the golden goose that is housed in the castle in the clouds. Although the plot of “Puss in Boots” is not terribly imaginative, it does provide a stage for the cat to showcase his skills and smooth pickup lines.
Puss is every bit the main character, so much so that when he is not on screen the movie loses its momentum. The film is at its greatest when the rogue cat is showcasing his smooth swordsmanship and cocky personality. There are moments when the film has the audience rolling with laughter and moments when it threatens to lull the audience to sleep.
The casting is perfect. Antonio Banderas’ deep voice makes for a hilarious effect coming from the mouth of the cute little ginger cat in musketeer boots. His pickup lines and cocky suaveness are the most entertaining parts of the whole film. Selma Hayek is good in her voicing of the sly and sure-pawed thief, Kitty Soft Paws, and her role becomes a love interest and a character for Puss to practice his playboy antics on. Zach Galifianakis is good enough as the voice of the creepy treacherous egg, Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Jack and Jill offer a few laughs in that they are portrayed as inbred hillbillies from Arkansas, and who doesn’t think that’s funny?
The film is at its best in the end, when the title character is dropping a smooth line and flipping through the air, fighting multiple adversaries. The charm of “Puss in Boots” is all in its title character and its slightly cheesy, but definitely entertaining, cat humor. Whether he is sipping from a tiny cup of “leche,” or using his cute-kitty-with-big-sad-eyes routine to convince a prison guard to open the door, the film is just downright great with Puss at the forefront. Sadly, the main character alone cannot elevate the film to greatness. Ultimately, the film “Puss in Boots” is a great movie. Its combination of swashbuckling adventure and hilarious cat jokes combine for a film that will delight parents, children and even dogs.
