Nine Lives

Kevin Spacey turns into a cat to disastrous results.

Not a great year for cat movies, Keanu

Double Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey gives one of the worst performances of the year as the ruthless billionaire Tom Brand, whose skyscraper empire is expanding. He has no time for his family but when he reluctantly buys a cat for his daughter’s eleventh birthday, following a terrible accident he finds himself actually inhabiting the body of Mr Fuzzypants...

This is a hugely disappointing film from director Barry Sonnenfeld, the man behind the Men in Black trilogy. The body swap film was ubiquitous in the 1980s with titles like Big and Vice Versa. But those were witty and fun whereas this unfortunate project is utterly unfunny. Spacey delivers an arch performance – even his voice over as the cat is wrongly pitched – and Jennifer Garner, as his unfortunate wife, looks uncomfortable throughout. The only believable performance comes from Christopher Walken as the eccentric cat owner who takes fate into his own hands in order to teach Spacey’s megalomaniac a lesson. A strong contender for this year’s Razzies.

GEORGE SAVVIDES

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken, Robbie Amell, Cheryl Hines, Malina Weissman.

Dir Barry Sonnenfeld, Pro Lisa Ellzey, Screenplay Gwyn Lurie, Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson, Daniel Antoniazzi and Ben Shiffrin, Ph Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Pro Des Michael Wylie, Ed Don Zimmerman and David Zimmerman, Music Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine, Costumes Marylin Fitoussi.

Fundamental Films-Lionsgate.
86 mins. France/China. 2016. Rel: 17 August 2016. Cert. PG.