Business tycoon Tom Brand is preoccupied with the imminent opening of his new skyscraper. But then, there's always some aspect of his business which occupies his every waking moment. That's why his first marriage failed (he is distanced from son David, who works for him), and his second is going the same way although he is, at least, prevailed upon to buy a cat for daughter Rebecca's birthday. Cat salesman Purrkins, however, is able to work a magical tweak to put Tom into the body of Mr Fuzzypants, there to remain until he learns his lesson or forever, whichever comes first. Factor the nefarious plans of executive Ian to take over the company in Tom's absence, and there are real problems ahead for Tom. Er, Mr Fuzzypants. Oh, whatever.
This film, pitched at kids, is quite entertaining, but contains no surprises whatsoever for anyone who has watched this sort of film before. The story works well enough, but the script runs along tramlines. That said, the cat special effects are quite good (and the real life cats will be appealing to feliphiles), there are some decent jokes along the way, Christopher Walken as Purrkins is superb (playing straightfaced but with a twinkle in his eye) and young Malina Weissman as Rebecca is a delight. She is also the spitting image of Jennifer Warner, who plays her mother.
Kevin Spacey disappoints: his reading of Mr Fuzzypants' lines could often have been improved upon (sez I, from the lofty heights of the Best Actor Oscar I haven't got).
Purrkins joins a long string of god-machinery characters in juvenile fiction - Mary Poppins, Elliot in Pete's Dragon, Nanny McPhee - who spring from nowhere in order to provide magical resolutions for kids' problems. This is not a bad thing in a morality tale: children deserve magical solutions to problems. Because - note the key words from two paragraphs ago - "Pitched At Kids."
This film, pitched at kids, is quite entertaining, but contains no surprises whatsoever for anyone who has watched this sort of film before. The story works well enough, but the script runs along tramlines. That said, the cat special effects are quite good (and the real life cats will be appealing to feliphiles), there are some decent jokes along the way, Christopher Walken as Purrkins is superb (playing straightfaced but with a twinkle in his eye) and young Malina Weissman as Rebecca is a delight. She is also the spitting image of Jennifer Warner, who plays her mother.
Kevin Spacey disappoints: his reading of Mr Fuzzypants' lines could often have been improved upon (sez I, from the lofty heights of the Best Actor Oscar I haven't got).
Purrkins joins a long string of god-machinery characters in juvenile fiction - Mary Poppins, Elliot in Pete's Dragon, Nanny McPhee - who spring from nowhere in order to provide magical resolutions for kids' problems. This is not a bad thing in a morality tale: children deserve magical solutions to problems. Because - note the key words from two paragraphs ago - "Pitched At Kids."