The HBO Max movie “Tom and Jerry” broke my childhood heart. I was expecting it to build on a funny cartoon classic, but the storyline was uninteresting and most jokes did not land.

The story starts as Tom dreams to be a pianist and Jerry searches for a new home in New York City. Kayla Foster (Chloe Moretz) bumps into Tom and Jerry when she is delivering clothes and then ends up working at the Royal Gate Hotel for a wedding with a stolen resume.

The plot of the movie did not flow smoothly and logically, reduced to chaotic chase scenes between Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse. There is so much screen time dedicated to characters the audience does not connect with, especially the wedding.

In order to restore the nostalgia, the film director included a bunch of recurring animal characters in it in 2D.

I would’ve enjoyed it more if the movie had highlighted the antics of Tom and Jerry and left them voiceless, as in the original cartoon. The voice acting was awkward and didn’t pair well with their characters.

“Tom and Jerry” made the stars in its title become the side characters. I prefer the classic seven-minute format of the cartoon rather than the hour and 41 minutes of the movie.

I recommend watching this movie only if you are a massive “Tom & Jerry” fan; if not, I would pass on this movie.

It is worth neither your time nor your money.

Rating: 2 out of 5