Warner Bros.
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Neighbors, friends and sometimes rivals John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Mathau) are planning the wedding between their kids when Max falls for a new resident in town, the lovely Maria (Sophia Loren).
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): John Gustafson’s cat named Slick returns for this sequel and is given more to do this time around. Also instead of being a calico she is now a completely gray cat (perhaps she is aging as well?) At first she is only seen in the background when Ariel (Ann-Marget) is sculpting John while he is posing nude.
Later John uses Slick to get back at Max by putting the cat in Max’s car with new imitation leather seats and instructing her to go to work on them.
The next morning Max opens his car door and Slick races out, leaving Max to discover his shredded seats. Max yells at Slick, telling her that she’s just kissed her ninth life goodbye.
Max goes to the pound and gets a one-eyed bulldog named Lucky. The next time Max opens his door in the morning Slick is waiting there, obviously having pooped on Max’s newspaper.
Max acts sweet to Slick and then sics Lucky on her. There are some strange moments when Slick seems to be caught up on something (a placement wire perhaps?) and unable to run out of the shot.
Lucky chases Slick over to John’s house and Slick manages to knock over a line of vases before jumping over John’s back and running inside.
Lucky darts between John’s legs and continues chasing Slick through the Gustafson home, making a disaster of everything.
At last Slick and Lucky jump over a couch and Lucky knocks the statue Ariel has been making from her hands, causing it to smash to the ground. The animals then run out the front door.
In anger, John and Max confront each other in the front yard, fighting with their fishing poles. In a priceless aside, Slick and Lucky are seen sitting together watching the two men fight.
Final Mewsings: Cats and dogs get along better than frustrated old men.
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