by Linda Kay
Starring: Tonic, Swivel, Stewie and Kitten
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
This review contains an Implied Kitty Carnage Warning!
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Former baseball draft hopeful turned bartender Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) finds out the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he reluctantly agrees to cat sit for his neighbor, little realizing the rabbit hole of danger into which this simple task will lead him.
Featured Feline: Returning home from work one night with his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), Hank runs into his punk rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) as he is leaving on a trip to England to see his father who’s had a stroke. Russ asks Hank to watch after his pet longhair tabby cat Bud for him while he’s gone. Hank is hesitant but Yvonne likes cats and checks on the kitty after Russ leaves, only to have Bud run into Hank’s apartment and sidle up to him.
Yvonne brings Bud’s litter box over to Hank’s apartment, pointing out the cat is lonely on his own. Bud watches with interest as the couple make out.
The next day Hank is making himself a tuna sandwich when Bud approaches him for a bite. Hank says the tuna isn’t for him but heads over to Russ’ apartment to get some food.
Unfortunately Hank isn’t the only one trying to get into Russ’ apartment as he’s confronted by two toughs, Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin) who beat the crap out of him. Bud looks at Hank sympathetically as the man lies bleeding in the hallway.
Hank suffers kidney damage and is told not to drink any more, which is a bit of a problem since he imbibes frequently. Bud seems to be trying to help when he knocks a beer bottle off a shelf onto Hank’s bed.
Upon returning to his apartment, Hank sees the thugs have broken into Russ’ apartment and he has to sneak in as Bud watches him from the bed.
A visit from Detective Roman (Regina King) does little to put Hank’s mind at ease when he learns the two thugs he’s already met are the least of his troubles. She tries to pet Bud but Hank warns her that the cat’s a biter, and indeed Bud hisses at her (albeit by way of an odd bit of computer animation).
Implied Kitty Carnage Warning! Poor Hank is once again confronted by the thugs in his apartment, this time with the inclusion of their boss Colorado (Benito Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny). When Hank notices that Bud is hiding from them, Pavel explains coldly that the cat had bitten him so he kicked the poor kitty. Sure enough, after the men leave Bud comes limping out of his hiding place.
Things unravel quickly from here. A trip to Yvonne’s gets both Hank and Bud patched up but ultimately proves to be a bad decision.
To say too much more would be giving away far too much. A whole slew of crazy characters (many played by notable actors you may or may not recognize at first!) come and go and poor Bud gets caught up in much of the action, being carried around for much of the film by Hank in a duffel bag as they’re bounced from one bizarre situation to another.
Who can they trust? What are these people after? And how does Bud’s presence play a major role in several key scenes? You should definitely check out this entertaining film to find out!
Tonic the cat actor shines in his lead role as Bud, supported amply by stand-ins Swivel, Stewie and Kitten. The Lead Cat Trainer for the film was Melissa Millett from The Ultimutts with Key Cat Assistant Trainers Courtney Voth and Kelly Whitlock as well as Cat Assistants Sienna Purdy and Kaitlyn Purchase.
Also notable is the adorable animated cat provided by Kuntz Animation which plays around with the unique end credits.
If you want to learn more about Tonic, check out our Special Feature coming tomorrow!
Final Mewsings: Cats cat hold their own as lead characters in movies, especially in the capable paws of a talent like Tonic.
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