It’s time to look at the live action version of 101 Dalmations. It’s definitely quite a bit different than the animated one and is essentially everything you expect from a 90s live action adaption. There is a ton of slapstick and the film has the subtlety of a sledge hammer. You either enjoy this style or you will find it obnoxious real fast. Fortunately I have a pretty high tolerance for the slapstick. The film ends up being a bit of an ironic watch at times so I can’t say that it’s genuinely funny but it’s also pretty harmless. It’s the kind of film I can watch any time but there will always be better alternatives to check out instead.
The movie starts with Roger’s dog falling for one that he met in the park. So he takes Roger on a rapid bike ride until they bump into the other owner. Anita takes a liking to Roger as well so the two of them get married right away. Their dogs have a ton of puppies and it looks like they are really going to live happily ever after. Well, that would have been the case but that’s when Cruella steps in. She intends to turn the dogs into a coat since she likes the spots that Dalmations have. She summons her 3 underlings and they get to work. Can Roger and Anita stop these guys?
The answer to that is no. Roger and Anita are pretty much helpless throughout the film. If you were hoping that they would be boxing the villains, think again. The only ones the dogs can count on are other dogs to spread the word and tip off the cops. Roger and Anita mostly are just stuck at home wishing that they could have done something. There’s a lot of blame to go around in terms of the kidnapping in the first place but it all comes down to the housekeeper for the biggest share.
I’m guessing it’s a super safe area but it was still rough to see her just opening the door without checking to see who was there. She lets the kidnappers in real easily and is then overpowered. These are not the smartest villains either as they are the main comic relief throughout the film. It is really rough to be losing to them in any context. At least I will say that the burglars made for a solid duo. The serious one got in some good lines and there was at least some effort put into the humor there.
Cruella is of course the main villain that everyone remembers and she does well too. She’s just not making direct moves in the same way. She mostly coordinates the attack from the shadows and comes up with the big plans. You won’t see her actually out there fighting. Cruella still isn’t spared from the comedy though as the whole climax has her getting badly beaten in a lot of different ways. You can bet that this is the kind of film that is also having a lot of fun with the visual gags in addition to slapstick.
One thing that the film could have leaned into a lot more was how Roger was a video game developer. Have him figure out where the villains are hiding based on what he would do in the game. Then you could have him and Anita being the ones to try and save the day. It would be considerably more interesting to have them be the leads. The film was going for the animals being the ones to save the day but since they can’t talk, it’s not quite as engaging. The main characters should not be the most forgettable parts of the film.
I’m also a bit surprised that they had the animals not be able to talk in this version because it feels like something that would not have been strange for a live action film. We’d already had the Homeward Bound series by this point after all. I’ve always been a big advocate for more dialogue being a good thing and this film is no exception. Having more dialogue would have been a good thing here. It’s not like the writing was stellar but it would still give the film a little more depth.
Finally the film is going for some intentional cringe during the adventure so you just have to decide if it’s too much for you or if it’s the right amount. Roger and Anita are both rather terrible at flirting and so their brief scenes can go on a bit long. You’re surprised that they even get together with how bad their first encounter was. Then you naturally have the film throwing in some crude humor like a skunk and excessive dog licking. Your tolerance will be tested here.
I would still say that the film has more good things going for it than bad but it is fair to say that this is a bit of an obnoxious film. It’s the kind of title that is really made for kids but overdoes it quite a bit so I don’t think it would be very popular with them as well. While Cruella may have gotten really popular, I’m not sure if I would have been completely sold from this film. I suppose the gag of everyone being terrified of her was one of the better ones in the film. It’s just really brief since we don’t spend much time at her company. If anything I would have liked to have seen more of Cruella at her day to day business. Show her crushing dreams and getting lots of wins before turning her attention to the Dalmatians.
Overall, I’d say this is a pretty reasonable film. It’s not one that I’m likely to pick out to watch on my own but if it’s on TV I wouldn’t mind it for background noise. The characters aren’t bad and the pacing is decent. I would say the main problem for 101 Dalmatians is that it’s just trying way too hard with all of the gags. Sometimes you can brute force a joke into working but that wasn’t the case here. If the film was half as funny as it thought it was, then this would be a completely different experience. We’ll see if the sequel is able to top this one at some point.
Overall 6/10
