Baldwin / Cohen Productions
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Judith Godrèche, Kelly Macdonald
Also Starring: Billy the Cat
Directed by: Phil Joanou
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: An offbeat romantic comedy about a first-time film director named Jake Walsh (Stephen Dorff) and his love for a beautiful model named Stella (Judith Godrèche). Unfortunately both work and fate don’t seem to favor the pair as Jake quickly spirals out of control.
Featured Feline: One of the highlights of this film is the cat which appears in the very first scene. The Abyssinian actor is named Billy the Cat and appears in several scenes throughout the film. Jake narrates his story, starting in an apartment with a girl he has just married (after only knowing for two days). The cat is seen sitting beside him.
Jake is a filmmaker who gets assigned to his first big Hollywood movie shooting in New York. While there he meets Stella and they fall in love. An early scene with them together shows Jake coming home to find hearts leading to the bathroom door. Once inside a note on the mirror instructs him to look down where he finds an adorable kitten.
Stella startles Jake by popping out of the bathtub to take his picture. She explains the kitten’s name is Puddy Tat because it reminds her of the cartoon character.
Puddy Tat steals the scene later when Jake and Stella get into the shower together and Puddy Tat decides to climb the vinyl shower curtain.
Puddy Tat grows and is a constant presence in the apartment, even when things between Jake and Stella start to deteriorate because of Jake’s hectic work schedule and his preoccupation with his film.
Eventually Stella leaves and Jake’s work on the movie doesn’t go well, either. So when his friend Bono from U2 calls him to make a music video he is quick to respond. Jake ends up drinking in excess and marrying a woman named Pia (Kelly Macdonald) he meets at a party, not realizing that Stella is trying to reach him while he is away.
Jake realizes he made a mistake and has to explain it to Pia. Pia wants him to get his stupid cat off her head.
In the film’s most memorable scene, Puddy Tat confronts Jake and talks to him cat to man, telling him to go after Stella.
Puddy Tat also asks for a smoke, which he soon realizes he doesn’t like.
The movie has a melancholy ending but at least Jake still has Puddy Tat.
Final Mewsings: Talking cats should just say no to smoking!
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