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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Buy it for the extras!, September 12, 2008
I really had high hopes for this one; Glenn Close reprising her role as Cruella and Gérard Depardieu as her costar. However, it really is just more of the same, and sadly even sillier than the first. This time, Close is just too over-the-top to really be as delicious as she was in the first outing. Even the slapstick at the end as she gets her comeuppance from the animals (again) is not as funny. The romantic leads are duller than dishwater as well, and there is no Joan Plowright to add an extra dollop of much needed class and humor. Still, from reading the other reviews on Amazon, there must be a place in people's hearts for this film...I would guess that children (very young children) might find it amusing, although some of the plot material is a little unsettling: plenty of talk about killing animals and taxidermy, red paint thrown at a fur coat to simulate blood during an animal protest, as well as some of the prison/makeshift psychiatric hospital scenes thatare also disturbing.
On to the plot: years after the first movie, Cruella has spent time in a prison facility where she has been undergoing psychiatric treatment (including electro-shock therapy) to make her have an aversion to fur coats. Her successful treatment allows her to be paroled, and she is back on the streets. Coincidentally, her parole officer Chloe owns Dipstick, one of the Dalmatians that Cruella terrorized in the first movie. During her first appointment with Chloe, Cruella coincidentally notices a photo of an animal shelter on Chloe's desk and decides to be its benefactor. Dipstick & Dottie (Chloe's other dalmatian) also (coincidentally) are about to have a litter of pups...just in time for Cruella's treatment to wear off during visit #2 to Chloe, when the sounding of Big Ben's clock chimes (which coincidentally happens just as she is sitting in Chloe's office where her dalmatians just coincidentally happen to be roosting at the moment). Who wrote this crap?!?
Now that she is back into fur coats again, Cruella drags out Anita's sketch of the infamous dalmatian fur coat from movie #1 and decides she wants 102 dalmatians this time...enough to make a hood, too. She teams up with furrier Jean-Pierre LePelt (Depardieu). Jean-Pierre is a cross between a punk-rocker and Liberace...not really sure where the writers were going with this character.
Naturally, there is chemistry between Chloe and the owner of the animal shelter (at least on script there is), and they team up to keep Cruella from killing the dalmatians for her new coat.
Although the story is lacking, the special effects are wonderful. The costume, hair, and set designers did a spectacular job as well...if only the story had been as carefully planned. Sigh...
On a bright note, this DVD really has some amazing extras, which is surprising since the new release of the live action 101 Dalmatians is totally devoid of extras. Here's what you get:
*Deleted scene: "Cruella's Release," which shows more details about what happens as she is getting out of prison...amusing, but not really missed from the movie.
*3 featurettes: "Creating Cruella" (includes interviews with Close), "Animal Actors," and "Designing Dalmatians."
*Audio commentary w/director Kevin Lima and the animal coordinator/trainers
*"Puppy Action Overload" music video with puppy auditions, outtakes, and scenes from the film
*"Dalmatians 101": featurette on how to pick a dog that fits your personality, covered with scenes from the film, narrated by Eric Idle, who voice Waddlesworth the parrot who thinks he's a rotteweiler in the film.
*Theatrical Trailer
*"Visual Effects 102" shows how spots were digitally removed, how they made the parrot talk, and more.
*DVD-Rom feature: "Cruella's Costume Creator."
Specs: DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound (THX-Certified) and Widescreen (1:85:1), enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
Overall: mildly (emphasis on mild) amusing film (as long as you leave all skepticism behind) and FANTASTIC extras.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FINALLY!!!, September 9, 2008
I am SO EXCITED that this movie has finally been released on DVD. I think it was released on DVD, maybe 8 years ago, but it has been GONE since, and trying to find it online has resulted in serious sticker shock. (The cheapest I had seen it was in the neighborhood of fifty dollars!) and I have been looking for this movie since my daughter was born 6 years ago because I love this movie. This movie is incredibly cute, and though I love the first movie (the live action 101 Dalmations), I actually like this one more. Glenn Close is brilliantly evil, the animal talent is adorable, and Gerard Depardieu is hilarious as a fur favoring fashion designer. This movie is full of pratfalls and physical comedy, but never "mean" or inappropriate or tasteless. This is a perfect family film that everyone can laugh at, and the comedy shines through to every age group.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
video review, June 1, 2009
This video was given to my granddaughters as a gift. I have seen the movie and think it is great.
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