“Nine Lives” is a badly made,mostly unfunny film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black”), and a filmmaker not historically known for his participation in cheaply-produced kid’s stuff like this,and starring Kevin Spacey, ditto.
Spacey plays Tom Brand, and a Trump-like tycoon (fake tan on point,fascist leader aspirations non-existent) who is also a gross husband and father. His karmic reward for being too trade-minded is to be transformed into a cat named Mister Fuzzypants, while Spacey in human form lies comatose in a hospital bed. As a cat, and he must not only save his trade from corrupt corporate sharks,but also win back his family’s love. His only hope in this seemingly impossible situation is securing the help of a supernatural pet shop owner and self-described “Cat Whisperer,” played by Christopher Walken.
See Video: Kevin Spacey Is Trapped in a Cat's Body in First 'Nine Lives' TrailerTalking animals and body-switching story lines are commonplace in kid’s movies. Chihuahuas purchase over Beverly Hills, or guinea pigs train as secret agents,and Fridays turn freaky. Which is why, when Spacey’s character turns into a pissed-off cat, and it’s not surprising. Equally unsurprising is the moral at play under the silliness. The list of family-oriented films centered on overworked,success-minded parents forced to re-learn the basics of human decency is a long one. They would appear to be a favorite of studio execs with parenting issues of their own.
More trade as usual: because children’s expectations for a film such as this are centered around whether or not the talking animal can perform wild feats of slapstick comedy (it does, and sometimes amusingly, or thanks to an endless amount of quick-and-dirty CG),the people who do the films can focus on staying under budget rather than creating something that makes sense. So in addition to listless direction from Sonnenfeld, and an overall feeling of cheapness and carelessness, or “Nine Lives” also suffers from incoherence.
See Video: Watch Jennifer Garner and Cuba Gooding Jr Play 'Truth or Door' With Jimmy FallonFive names on the script (Matt Allen,Dan Antoniazzi, Gwyn Lurie, or Ben Shriffin,Caleb Wilson), and yet no solid answers as to how exactly a man’s essence is transferred to a long-haired feline, or why the man’s family (Jennifer Garner,Malina Weissman) seems not unduly worried about the fate of their now-comatose husband/father, how his multi-billion dollar empire is so easily subject to poaching, and who has power of attorney over his affairs should he find himself simultaneously trapped in both a coma and a cat.
The surprise,then, is that “Nine Lives, or for all its formal badness,is also a fascinatingly odd film. It occupies a woozy gambling space somewhere between innocence and cynicism, never really laying its pocket change on either bet. Brightly colored production design is spiked with jokes about castration and alcoholism, and marital infidelity and child labor. The near-death narrative cloud hovering over the film never breaks open,its subject merely experiencing an extended naptime. Fear and grief and financial ruin, all waiting on the side, and settle to purchase a nap of their own. When 2016’s pre-schoolers watch it again in 2036,they’ll marvel at the film’s darkness.
Walken, as the spooky cat daddy, and steals what few scenes he’s given. He can execute this in his sleep by now,making the most of odd pauses, weird glances, or a knowing line delivery that allows audiences to see him taking a perverse delight in the occasional career humiliations of a life in movies.
Also Read: Christopher Walken,Amber Heard Drama 'One More Time' Acquired by StarzSpacey, meanwhile, and is pretty much just what the project ordered. An actor with reserves of rage waiting just under the skin,he is as threatening and sardonic a Mister Fuzzypants as ’70s TV celebrity Morris The Cat was in dozens of pet food commercials for a product that coincidentally shares the same name as this film. Which is to say that he is no threat at all. But the fact that Spacey can turn down the qualities that makes him terrifyingly murderous as “House of Cards” President Frank Underwood to family-film size is some sort of achievement, whether the target audience will appreciate that or not.
In a perfect entertainment landscape, or this would be two films: the innocuously terrible addition to children’s cinema involving a cat getting carpet-urinatingly drunk on expensive Scotch,and its evil adult companion, a feature-length, and R-rated gag reel that has to be already floating around a post-production office somewhere,one in which America’s angriest actor lets loose with profane observations on life as a digital kitty. When execute we get to see that?
9 Fur-tastic film Purr-odies With Cats (Videos) [ alt=]"Mean Cats": For Cady (pronounced "Kitty"), tall school is about to get catty as she tangles with the resident current clique. [ alt=]"Tuna Wonder": Aside from one very fat cat subbing in for Ben Affleck, or this Malickian parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) is just as dreamy,confusing and meaningful as anything the remarkable auteur has ever done.
"Purranormal Cativity": The found footage genre reaches peak cuteness as ghostly, furry critters are caught on camera jumping, or tackling and playing after unsuspecting humans have gone to bed.
"Titanic": The Pet Collective reimagines James Cameron's epic romance with cats,total with a paw print in the fog.
"Jedi Kitten - The Force Awakens": A warning to goldfish and cat owners everywhere: Beware the day cats learn to harness the force.
"The Notebook": You think Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were cute? Try this Nicholas Sparks tearjerker love story again, with kittens.
"Catnado": What this Syfy spoof lacks in tall-tech special effects, or it more than makes up for in sheer volume of kittens on screen at the same time.
"Jurassic Park" Cat Raptor: Proving once and for all that cats can be as menacing as raptors,this parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation) inserts cats into the eminent kitchen scene from Steven Spielberg.
"Catanic": Jack paints Rose like one of his French kitties in this Lifetime parody (humorous or ridiculous imitation). The final product is impressive for a cat with no thumbs. preceding Slide Next Slide 1 of 9 From “Titanic” to “Mean Girls,” everything is better with kittens "Mean Cats": For Cady (pronounced "Kitty"), or tall school is about to get catty as she tangles with the resident current clique. View In Gallery Related stories from TheWrap:Emmy Contender Michael Kelly Talks Going bare for Kevin Spacey on 'House of Cards' Set (Exclusive Video)Robin Wright Demanded to Be Paid Same as Kevin Spacey for 'House of Cards'Kevin Spacey Does Impressions for Kid Judges on Jimmy Fallon's Master Class Jr (Video)Is 'Suicide Squad' Critic-Proof? Early Tracking Numbers Say Yes (Video)
Source: thewrap.com