if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I will admit I have seen better Tom and Jerry cartoons, especially The Cat Concerto and The Two Mouseketeers but I have also seen much worse as well, Switchin' Kitten and Carmen Get It! spring to mind. Flirty Birdy doesn't deserve a place among the best, nor does it belong the worst. Instead it sits comfortably in the entertaining but could have been better category.So what didn't work so well? Well the story is rather predictable and takes a while to get going, and when it does get going, it is pretty much the same thing, Tom and the hawk calling for desperate measures to devour Jerry in some way or other. Also while some of the gags are very amusing, seeing Tom as a lady hawk is funny if somewhat bizarre too, others are hit and miss, either being predictable like the story or not very well timed. Then the pacing is an issue, I just found it too slow.However, there are a lot of good things. The animation is very nice, with colourful backgrounds and well drawn characters. And the music is energetic and quirky, not to mention memorable. The characters are fine too, Tom is devious and cunning and actually doesn't look too bad as a lady hawk, Jerry is sweet and equally cunning and the hawk is a good enough foil. The cartoon does begin and end well, and does have a fair amount of amusing, if not hilarious, moments. Overall, it is a good Tom and Jerry cartoon if not fantastic. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Tom is about to tuck into a delicious Jerry sandwich when a huge bird of prey swoops down and flies off with his snack. Not at all happy with having his sarnie stolen right from under his nose, Tom takes off in hot pursuit, determined to retrieve his mousy morsel.As much as I love Tom and Jerry, I have got to say that this one is a bit of a stinker: the story is rather mundane; it introduces a badly conceived peripheral character that lacks charm; and it flogs the old 'dress the cartoon character up as a woman' gag to death.In my opinion, 'Flirty Birdy' rivals 'Fraidy Cat' and 'Mouse in Manhattan' for the title of weakest Tom and Jerry caper thus far.

Tom has caught Jerry and is about to make a sandwich out of him when a buzzard swoops down out of the sky and snatches the sandwich from his hands, just as he is about to take a bite. Not taking kindly to such acts of heinous theft, Tom goes after his sandwich, but the buzzard isn't going to give it up so easily.Cue many gags and schemes in which Tom tries to get Jerry back. Not to rescue him of course. Tom finds that the best scheme is to dress up as a weird-looking female buzzard. Of course the bird falls in love at first sight and makes it harder for Tom to escape than he ever imagined.Not the best T&J cartoon but loads of funny visual gags.

Tom the cat has to contend with a buzzard for the right to eat Jerry the mouse at first, then the vulture falls in love with him for some reason. Whenever a third character is in a Tom and Jerry short it can be hit or miss with me. Spike the dog is good, The black maid is good, the duckling is good sometimes. But this one, co-starring a love-stricken vulture as Tom's main foil is not one of the lesser Tom and Jerry shorts. While there are some laughs to be had, it just didn't seem to have that special something to make it one of the keepers. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry" My Grade: C