A Talking Cat!?!
| A Talking Cat!?! | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | David DeCoteau |
| Written by | Andrew Helm |
| Produced by | Marco Colombo David DeCoteau |
| Starring | Johnny Whitaker Kristine DeBell Eric Roberts |
| Cinematography | David DeCoteau |
| Edited by | Danny Draven |
| Music by | Harry Manfredini |
Production company | Rapid Heart Pictures |
| Distributed by | Phase 4 Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Talking Cat!?!is a 2013 Americanindependentfamilycomedy filmdirected byDavid DeCoteau.[1]The film was releaseddirect to DVDon February 18, 2013, byPhase 4 Filmsand featuresAcademy Award–nominated actorEric Robertsas the voice of Duffy, the titular talking cat.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]Duffy the cat is a cat that is capable of talking to humans, but only once per individual. While out walking, he comes across two families, both led bysingle parents.The wealthy Phil Barber recently sold his computer company in order to spend more time with his son, who is largely indifferent about his dad's decision. He is more concerned about his crush on schoolmate Frannie, who has hired him as a tutor. Meanwhile, Susan is struggling to make ends meet as acatererwith her two children Tina and Trent.
Duffy speaks to each person giving advice on their lives and worries. He manages to help Chris get together with Frannie, give Trent the confidence and guidance for his future, and directs Tina to read about the sale of Phil's company. This guides Tina to approach Phil about a computer program she created. Duffy also advises Phil to begin taking walks outside, knowing that this will likely lead to a romance between him and Susan.
Despite these successes, Duffy forgets to talk to Susan. This results in her growing angry when she discovers that both of her children have neglected her instructions to stay at home and help her with bakingcheese puffsand are instead at Phil's house baking cheese puffs. This causes a rift between Phil and Susan that is only mended after Duffy is hit by a speeding car and they must pair together with their children to find his magic collar. They find the collar and quickly bring it back to Duffy, saving his life in the process.
Cast
[edit]- Johnny Whitakeras Phil Barber
- Kristine DeBellas Susan
- Justin Cone as Chris Barber
- Janis Peebles as Tina
- Alison Sieke as Frannie
- Daniel Dannas as Trent
- Eric Robertsas Duffy (voice)
- Squeaky as Duffy
Production
[edit]The film is one of several direct-to-video family films directed byDavid DeCoteauunder the pseudonym Mary Crawford. It was shot in three days in the same mansion as director DeCoteau's1313series.[3]Eric Roberts' dialogue was recorded in 15 minutes over a phone call.[3]
Reception
[edit]Critical reception was predominantly negative,[4][5]withFilm.comcriticizing the character of Duffy and the laziness of the special effects.[6]The A.V. Clubgave a mostly negative review for the film, but stated that "for lovers of utter, unredeemable trash, it is highly recommended."[7]CraveOnlinealso gave a negative review, but also recommended it as a film for "Bad Movie Night".[8]
In his bookSo Bad, It's Good II: Electric Bookaloo,Edward Scimia writes of Roberts' performance that "It's safe to call his delivery of the cat's lines disinterested. [...] There's also the puzzling audio quality of his material: it clearly stands out from the rest of the film, with many remarking that it sounds as though he recorded his lines in a bathroom." He sums up the movie with "In the end, Duffy uses his demonic powers for good, helping to [...] teach several cast members valuable lessons about...whatever. You don't really care. It's a terrible movie about a talking cat."
In an interview, DeCoteau said of the film that "people have called me who I haven't seen since high school who said, 'David, after 100 movies you've finally made a movie we like.'" He added, "I watched it again, because I hadn't seen it since we made it, and it is so ridiculous and hilarious and over-the-top."[3]
It was also spoofed byRiffTraxon June 26, 2018.[9]
See also
[edit]- Cats & Dogs
- Air Buddies
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua
- Nine Lives- 2016 family film similar in content
- List of films considered the worst
- Gougère
References
[edit]- ^"NERDIST PODCAST: A TALKING CAT?!".Nerdist. Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2013.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^Rigney, Todd."A Talking Cat!?! That's Seriously The Name Of Eric Roberts' New Movie".Beyond Hollywood. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-12-09.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^abcSloan, Will (2014-10-28)."Meet David DeCoteau, the King of Homoerotic On Demand Schlock".Flavorwire.Retrieved2015-01-09.
- ^Garrett "Hydrogen" Neil, Sean "Trillaphon" Neil."Review: A Talking Cat!?!".Something Awful.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^HALLETT, ALISON (Apr 19, 2013)."A Talking Cat!?!: The Blogtown Review".The Portland Mercury.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^Snider, Eric D."Eric's Bad Movies: 'A Talking Cat!?!' (2013)".Film.com.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^Rabin, Nathan."A Talking Cat!?! is The Room of anthropomorphic animal movies featuring Eric Roberts".AVClub.com.Retrieved13 June2013.
- ^Seibold, Witney."Review: A Talking Cat!?!".CraveOnline. Archived fromthe originalon 2 May 2013.Retrieved16 June2013.
- ^RiffTrax