One reviewer lauded this film, saying it was a clever satire of our society.
I beg to differ. It could have been, but what I saw was more of a reflection, perhaps, of the worst in people. If it's satire, it's not very good satire.
To be fair, the film wasn't as unwatchable as all the bad reviews led me to believe it would be. But it's still bad. Above that, it's relentlessly mean-spirited and cynical and I'm not just talking about the fart jokes and what have you. Mike Myers' Cat, apart from not being funny, or funny enough, just does not come across as a likable character. In fact, whatever humor Myers' conveys seems to come from the fact that his character has an unwholesome edge to it; as if he's incapable of playing someone likable while being funny. The other characters barely register or give any basis on which to form any response at all. Lastly, the Cat appeared to teach the kids to have fun. Mostly what I saw was the kids being exasperated or scared out of their wits; most of the time they appeared to be angry at the Cat (with good reason). They didn't seem to me to be having much fun at all.
I beg to differ. It could have been, but what I saw was more of a reflection, perhaps, of the worst in people. If it's satire, it's not very good satire.
To be fair, the film wasn't as unwatchable as all the bad reviews led me to believe it would be. But it's still bad. Above that, it's relentlessly mean-spirited and cynical and I'm not just talking about the fart jokes and what have you. Mike Myers' Cat, apart from not being funny, or funny enough, just does not come across as a likable character. In fact, whatever humor Myers' conveys seems to come from the fact that his character has an unwholesome edge to it; as if he's incapable of playing someone likable while being funny. The other characters barely register or give any basis on which to form any response at all. Lastly, the Cat appeared to teach the kids to have fun. Mostly what I saw was the kids being exasperated or scared out of their wits; most of the time they appeared to be angry at the Cat (with good reason). They didn't seem to me to be having much fun at all.