Directed by: John Schlesinger
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Patty (Melanie Griffith) and her partner Drake (Matthew Modine) invest in a San Francisco fixer-upper only to have their dream house turned into a nightmare by villainous tenant named Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton).
Featured Feline: As Patty and Drake are busy painting he notices a long-haired white cat outside the window which is covered with plastic.
“Hey, there’s a cat outside!” Drake announces. He plays with the cat through the plastic and glass.
It isn’t specifically stated but the couple adopts the cat, only calling him or her “Kitty.” The cat is next seen sitting amongst some paint cans at night and then jumps on the couple’s bed.
Later the cat is inside Carter’s apartment and scratching at the door to get out.
Carter calls to the cat who finds a plate of food on the television set. There are some tense moments as Carter plays with a razor blade but fortunately he does not hurt the cat.
The cat shows up in a dream sequence when Drake is having nightmares about the situation with Carter. He pictures the cat being held by a guy named Greg (Luca Bercovici), a cohort of Carter’s.
The cat wriggles out of Greg’s arms and runs down the stairs where the nightmare continues.
At one point Patty is looking for the cat when she goes down into the garage. She approaches some garbage cans when a pigeon flies out, scaring her. Kitty then jumps out too and hisses in a twist on the Spring-Loaded Cat moment. It should be noted the close up of the cat hissing is of a short-haired cat. Both the pigeon and Kitty go out through the window.
Patty finally finds Kitty outside and picks the cat up to take back in.
The cat wriggles free of Patty’s grip and runs inside the house. When Patty enters she hears a meow, which is Carter meowing to lure her to him.
At the end of the film Kitty runs down the stairs in front of the couple as they show off the house to prospective buyers.
Kitty then follows Patty and Drake back upstairs.
The animal trainer on the film was Melinda Eichberg.
Final Mewsings: A cat owner should know their own cat’s meow.
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