Puss in Boots 2011

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Puss in Boots prances along on three basic truths. One, cats are funny. Two, vain Spanish cats in high-heeled musketeer boots are even funnier. Lastly, booted, vain Spanish cats voiced by a breathy Antonio Banderas are flat-out hilarious. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: I left dreaming of a world in which cats could tango - and when's the last time a movie did that? Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...simple, sincere and largely innocent. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: A cheerfully chaotic jumble of fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters parachuted into a Spanish storybook setting. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Who needs a narrative when you've got a few funny lines (caught with catnip, Puss declares it's "for my glaucoma"), a Morricone knockoff score and a climactic sequence with something we'll call Goosezilla? Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Puss made his debut in "Shrek 2," then did time in the two decreasingly funny sequels. Now he's got a movie of his own, and not a moment too soon. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: With his impeccable comic timing and lyrical Spanish accent, Banderas' swashbuckling charmer is an undeniable treat. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Even for a Shrek spin-off, Puss In Boots is mighty thin gruel, based more in outsized emotion than actual narrative. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: As good as Banderas and Hayek are together, Galifianakis is better, making Humpty-Dumpty, of all people, one of the more intriguing animated characters to come along in awhile. He's a nice surprise. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: For quick, lively, family friendly entertainment, "Puss in Boots" works just fine, even in 3-D, which is integrated thoughtfully into the narrative and doesn't just feel like a gimmick. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: "Puss in Boots'' doesn't break any new ground in the storytelling department, and its reliance on go-go-go state-of-the-art action sequences grows wearying by the end, but the movie has a devilish wit that works for parent and child alike... Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: It would overstate matters to say Puss in Boots leaves its cat holding the bag (we had to get that in). But it also leaves its hero awaiting a richer fable, one befitting his charms and his portrayer's talents. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: In the Shrek films, the joke of Puss in Boots, with his trilled consonants and penchant for chest-puffing sword duels, is that no one this cuddly should try to be this dashing. But in Puss in Boots, that joke wears out its welcome in 15 minutes. Read more

William Goss, Film.com: The character may be here to save the day, but the movie's only here to pass the time and it does that just fine. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: Colorful, clever enough, free of cloying showbiz in-jokes, action-packed without being ridiculous about it and even well choreographed... Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Perhaps the most engaging thing about "Puss in Boots" is that it never takes itself too seriously. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: An almost purr-fect little film that even a dog owner can enjoy. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: It's always a pleasure to find a family film that respects its audience all the way up the line. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Basically, this toon is a tired riff on Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns, punctuated by more puns and cat jokes than you can shake a litter box at. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Remember that toy where you yank a string and hear the sound of a barnyard animal? "Puss in Boots" has about half as much entertainment value. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Even if they don't provide much lift, these boots were made for amusement. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: It's the morally-cracked Humpty who provides the film's emotional trajectory. Puss in Boots is a fun feline frolic -- with just a little egg on its face. Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: 'Puss in Boots' is uneven, but when it's on course, cat fans will be in heaven. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: The cat came back. Good thing, too. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: Puss' origin story could easily stand on its own -- a testament to clever writing on the part of its creative team and an irresistible central performance by Antonio Banderas. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Almost shockingly good. And not just because a lot of you will approach it with lowered expectations. Read more