Cats & Dogs

In the covert war between felines and canines, a strategic focal point is a professor (Jeff Goldblum) and his crusade to develop a vaccine against dog allergies; squaring off under the prof’s oblivious nose are two dogs (voices by Tobey Maguire and Alec Baldwin) and a Persian kitty named Mr. Tinkles (Sean Hayes) bent on world domination. John Requa and Glenn Ficarra’s script has no thought in its head beyond being a live-action version of the old Spike-and-Chester Looney Tunes, and to that end it recycles endless James Bond/Mission: Impossible cliches into workmanlike gags, all paced at a brisk four-legged trot by director Lawrence Guterman. It’s pleasant and inoffensive (fart-and-potty jokes are minimal), but as forgettable as the jokes in a package of Laffy Taffy, and just as disposable.