Review Summary: Pawsitively adorable, but weighed down a bit by some clunky moments.
It's been the year of the Disney remake, and that hasn't been good news for the most part. While not all of them have been bad (I enjoyed Aladdin earlier this year), some have been at least decent misfires (with The Lion King being the biggest disappointment). So what do you expect out of a new version of the studios' 1955 classic? Well, with the film debuting with Disney+, you might would think that confidence isn't exactly there. Even the director isn't exactly a big name, with Charlie Bean's only real credit being 2017's mediocre LEGO Ninjago Movie.
However, I am relieved to report that this remake is better than expected, and is certainly better than Lion King. Lady and the Tramp accomplishes this by remaining faithful to not just the yesteryear feel of the animated flick, but also carrying some entertaining twists that don't disrespect the original. It's also nice to see the voice performances and the animals carry more energy this time around too.
However, there are some missteps too that I wish could have been changed. Tramp (though no fault of Justin Theroux) seems a bit more selfish and off-kilter than last time, which annoyed me a little bit at first. But, at the same time, he seems to ditch this persona later on, which really helps his character development feel a bit more realistic. The Siamese Cats song is replaced (the original song isn't revered by modern audiences for reasons I won't discuss) by a more modernized-sounding song (not to mention the cats are both male now). It doesn't gel with the rest of the film, but it doesn't linger for too long thankfully.
Lady and Tramp also seem a bit too awkward at first also, especially in their first few meetings. However, this is fixed towards the end of the second act as they have more serious and interesting exchanges. Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok, Men in Black: International) grows into the voice role, and ultimately sells her performance as Lady. One solid change that worked was changing Jock into a female (Jacqueline), which was a solid idea as Lady never had a female friend in the original. Ashley Jensen steps into the role very nicely, carrying the Irish accent necessary for the character. Meanwhile, Sam Elliott and Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures, Harriet) are pitch-perfect choices to play Trusty and Peg. And Monae gives a very nice rendition of the classic song, "He's a Tramp".
As for the human actors, Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons are solid as Jim and Darling. Yvette Nicole Brown (Drake and Josh) is solid as Aunt Sarah also. But the biggest surprise for me was bringing in Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham to play Tony. And, honestly, he nails "Bella Notte". In fact, that song is given the perfect redo. It sticks to the classic formula (with a choir ending included), and feels like its taken right out of the original.
With rescues used for the animals, there's a handful of nice animal stunts. And the CGI work is especially strong. I felt like there was more emotion shown here than any of the animals in Lion King. At the same time, the film never overdoes the CGI effects either. It mostly sticks to a more lower budget approach, which is definitely appreciative. The only scene that feels overdone to me personally is the ending fight between Tramp and the rat. It seemed like they were trying to intensify it in order to simply get a PG rating.
However, there's other nods to the original too that are also appreciative. From some repeated lines of dialog (but its' never overdone) to an appearance of the memorable opening song "Peace on Earth", to a very appropriate and inviting setting (it was filmed in Savannah, GA), it succeeds in generating nostalgia. Joseph Trapanese builds on the score of the original to include some subtle and strong moments here and there.
In the end, while it carries some sloppy, throwaway moments, this remake still has enough strengths to make it at least watchable for fans of the original. And for families, its' old-fashioned entertainment that kids will easily have fun with.
My Score: 7.2/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing:
Rating: PG ("some mild thematic elements and action/peril").
Recommended age range: 6 and up.
Language: One use of "G**!". Beyond that, nothing else to note.
Adult Content: Lady and Tramp have that iconic kiss with the spaghetti. One other moment has Lady accidentally land on top of Tramp. Darling and Jim kiss too. One odd moment includes Tramp sniffing the back of a woman's neck, leading her to misinterpret the situation and smack a nearby man (Tramp sets this up to steal the person's food).
Violence: Tramp fights a rat in an extended sequence, leading to a couple of minor bloodstains on his fur. Jim and Darling's baby is threatened, and her crib falls (she is okay). A dogcatcher chases Tramp on several occasions. In one scene, his cart flips over and he falls out (he is ok, while Tramp is left lying down knocked out). Lady is threatened in an ally by a larger dog, who snarls and growls at her. She later scares the dog away by convincing him she has rabies. We see a dog in the pound with one white eye, along with a few others that snarl and growl at Lady's direction.
Drugs/Alcohol: A few glasses of alcohol and beer bottles are shown at Darling's baby shower.
Other: A fire hydrant is mentioned. Tramp steals and lies (but he changes his ways), along with other dogs. Some insulting. At the pound, a dog is taken by a pound employee through a "one way door", which is meant to imply euthanasia (we only see lights turn off as a hint). This idea may upset younger, sensitive viewers, so parents should be prepared to discuss this in advance.
