Nine Lives

Mark Consuelos getting attacked by Mr. Fuzzypants in Nine Lives

The gimmick of Nine Lives is very reminiscent of such films as The Shaggy Dog. The theme of a father needing to spend more time with his family has been done many times before. There is very little originality to be found here. However, my wife is a big cat person and as I am a father with grown sons, we both found something here to connect with.

Kevin Spacey plays Tom Brand, a Donald Trump type New York billionaire whose latest project is to build the largest skyscraper in North America. However, there is also someone building one in Chicago that may end up even taller. When not at the office complaining, he likes extreme sports such as skydiving. He sometimes finds time for his current wife and daughter but usually not much. His adult son, David, from a previous marriage, works for him but Tom shows him no preferential treatment. In fact, David's work space looks more like a storage room than an office.

For his daughter's birthday, Tom finally agrees to get her the one thing she has been asking annually for, a cat. Tom asks his phone for directions to a pet store and it leads him to one called "Purrkins" that would not be out of place in Diagon Alley. The owner, Mr. Perkins, is played by Christopher Walken, who is essentially playing the same character he played in Click (2006). You know, that movie about a man who has to learn to appreciate his family. Only instead of handing out magic remote controls, he gives Tom a cat.

Before Tom can get the cat home, Tom's shady executives, Ian, invites Tom to a meeting on top of the soon to be opened tower. There, a mishaps occurs and Tom ends up in a coma, while his spirit, mind, and memories end up in the cat. Still in his carrier, the cat gets brought to the hospital and Tom's wife ends up taking it home to their daughter, who thinks his name is Mr, Fuzzypants. Tom, in cat form, quickly learns two things. The first is that he has been so self centered that he has no clue what has been going on around him. His wife is thinking about leaving him. His hard working son just wants his respect. His daughter wants him to spend time with her. Ian is out to sell his company while he sleeps. The other important thing he learns after Mr. Perkins pays him a visit is, "You haven't been there for your family. You're gonna be stuck inside this cat until you makes things right." Hey, I never said this film was deep.

Kevin Spacey has one of the greatest sarcastic voice's I have ever heard. However, he is never given anything truly remarkable to say/think. When his daughter puts a bow on him, we hear him ask, "Seriously?" When looking comically miserable in a bath tub, he says, "Just drown me." A real cat was used for some of the scenes, but far too often the cat is obviously computer animated. Are there no animal trainers left in California? Does anyone else remember That Darn Cat!? In 1965, people were able to make a film centered around a feline without any CGI. Why not today?

Sure, anyone could rip this movie a new one and maybe I was just in a forgiving mood but I liked this movie's pro-family message about not taking people who love you for granted. I found some of the cat's antics mildly amusing and the moral lesson a bit heart warming. Except for a possibly dark moment at the end, it is all played very light and harmless. This is at the opposite side of the spectrum from Sausage Party.