Kevin Spacey's Bizarre Cat Movie Nine Lives Has Been Savaged

It’s genuinely hard to believe that Kevin Spacey made ‘Nine Lives’, a movie in which he plays a tycoon trapped inside the body of a cat called Mr. Fuzzypants, at the same time as his award-winning turn in ‘House of Cards’.

Judging by the savaging the movie has been given by critics, it’s easily the worst work of his career running right alongside arguably his best.

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So far, the movie has a woeful 4% ‘fresh’ rating on reviews aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with critics clearly relishing taking it to pieces.

Owen Gleiberman in Variety writes: “Spacey, who is known in showbiz circles for his wicked improvisations, could probably have made up wittier dialogue in his sleep. He’s hamstrung by this glum paycheck dud, and so is everyone else.”

In Nigel M. Smith’s one-star review in The Guardian, he adds: “The script is out to pasture, neglecting to address the interior lives of all of its characters, and failing to deliver a single good punchline. The limp direction lacks the wacky sensibility that characterizes Sonnenfeld’s best work.”

Neil Genzlinger for the New York Times offers simply: “The cast member you really feel bad for is the cat.”

Peter Travers in Rolling Stone goes on: “Family audiences should not be fooled. This witless talking cat movie needs to go out with the kitty litter.”

Meanwhile, David Ehrlich on IndieWire, calling it a ‘neutered family comedy from hell’, sums up that it’s ‘less funny than the average cat gif and approximately 1,000 times as long’.

Amy Nicholson for MTV has so far provided the only kind review, writing: “Yes, Nine Lives is dumb. Yes, it’s for very young kids. Yes, Lil Bub has a cameo. And yes, I giggled anyway, as did the strange man next to me who’d smuggled in his own fish-scented snack.”

The movie, which is offered at least some legitimacy by being directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, also stars Jennifer Garner as Spacey’s wife, and Christopher Walken as mysterious pet shop owner Felix Perkins.

It’s out on August 19 across the UK.

Image credits: EuropaCorp