101 Dalmatians

Starring: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright, Hugh Laurie, Mark Williams, John Shrapnel, Jim McInnerny
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: A fashion designer (Glenn Close) is determined to create a new fur coat that requires her to steal dalmatian puppies.

Review:

Tim: I was never the biggest fan of Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was a perfectly good movie, but I never felt a deep connection with it. In principle, I wasn't that concerned about them making a live action remake of the film. It's not like it was one of the true Disney classics. I know most critics disliked this movie, but I thought it was a perfectly fine film. It was interesting to see how the live action approach changed the story. I thought it worked well and the movie is bolstered by a strong cast. I thought this film was good.

At this point, we all know the story here. I don't think it's great, but Cruella DeVil is a memorable villain and it was fun to see her depicted in live action. There's also something fun about seeing so many puppies. The fact that the original was only good (not close to great) helps, as it didn't give this movie too high a bar to reach. The story here is the same, so it's not like we're going to get something fundamentally new. The remake feels a bit too redundant, but I understand that's to be expected.

The cast is really what makes this movie work. That starts with Glenn Close. It's fun to watch her ham it up in this over-the-top villainous role. Cruella is a great villain- she wants to kill puppies- and it's so easy to hate her. Close's performance is easily the greatest strength of the film. She doesn't always give a good performance as it becomes too cartoonish and absurd at times, but she's always fun to watch. I give her a ton of credit for bringing this unhinged woman to life. While Close is good, the cast couldn't just be on her. Jeff Daniels is brilliantly cast as Roger. He looks like Roger from the original animated movie, but he's such a dependable actor. He brings that quiet effectiveness to the role. I really enjoyed seeing Daniels here and it lends a great deal of respectability to the film. I enjoyed seeing him in this role. Joely Richardson was decent- she has a few nice moments and works well with Daniels and Close. Richardson's performance might be unremarkable, but it does contribute to the film. It was also fun to see Hugh Laurie in an unexpected supporting performance. I really enjoyed the cast, which was so critical, because it made the film feel less redundant.

The movie is certainly aimed at younger audiences. It wasn't always the most enjoyable for me, but my six year-old son loved it. They watched it at school and he came home raving about it. He was so excited, we had to watch it as a family. It was a lot of fun watching him explain the movie to me. He laughed frequently throughout the film. The movie definitely appeals to younger viewers.

Ultimately, I liked this remake. The cast is absolutely critical, but director Stephen Herek manages to direct a solid movie. He certainly plays it safe and doesn't stray too far from the source material, but the movie does enough different to generate a different viewing experience. One of the best changes is that the animals don't talk- that is directly opposite to the animated movie and it requires a different storytelling approach. I appreciated seeing how Herek tackled the story without having the animals talk. It was kind of fun to see how he adjusted.

Because of a few of these differences, I ended up enjoying 101 Dalmatians. I also admit that my son's excitement likely swayed me just a bit. While this film is flawed and probably didn't need to be made in the first place, there's a few differences that make this feel less pointless. I thought this was a good movie and it's on par with the animated original.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 102 Dalmatians