Murder of a Cat
| Murder of a Cat | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gillian Greene |
| Produced by |
Sam Raimi Ivan Orlic |
| Written by |
Christian Magalhaes Robert Snow |
| Starring |
Fran Kranz Nikki Reed J.K. Simmons Blythe Danner |
| Music by | Deborah Lurie |
| Cinematography | Christophe Lanzenberg |
Release dates | April 24, 2014 (TFF)[1] |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Murder of a Cat is an American independent thriller/comedy film directed by Gillian Greene and starring Fran Kranz, Nikki Reed, J.K. Simmons, and Blythe Danner. The film premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.[1]
Synopsis
When someone murders his beloved cat, Clinton (Kranz), an adult child, demands justice. Taking it upon himself to solve the case, he teams up with an unlikely ally, Greta (Reed), and the two set out to find the culprit lurking in their small suburban town. But as Clinton searches for the truth, he begins to uncover a conspiracy that goes far deeper than he anticipated.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Fran Kranz | Clinton |
| Nikki Reed[2] | Greta |
| Greg Kinnear | Ford |
| J.K. Simmons | Sheriff Hoyle |
| Blythe Danner | Edie |
| Ted Raimi | Young Sheriff |
Production
The screenplay was on the Hollywood "Black List" in 2010.[2] Fran Kranz replaced Jay Baruchel in the lead role.[3] The film was shot on location in Los Angeles, CA in 2013 by Seine Pictures and Raimi Productions.
Reception
The film was poorly received by critics. It currently has a 31 out of 100 on aggregate reviewer website Metacritic.[4] Lead actor Kranz took a lot of the criticism along with Greene's direction.
Rex Reed of The New York Observer hated the film:
| “ | [T]his bucket of swill is so amateurish and confused it doesn’t know what it is. It’s not a comedy, drama or anything in-between. It’s best described as a bad California home movie... I saw it with three people. One walked out. The star of this dirge is a banana head named Fran Kranz, whose onscreen charisma is an undetectable secret. The benign direction is by Gillian Greene and the idiotic script is by Christian Magalhaes and Robert Snow.[5] | ” |
Joe Neumaier of The New York Daily News had slightly more positive things to say about the film:
| “ | This is a perfect example of the kind of indie movie J.K. Simmons will hopefully never have to do again if he wins an Oscar for Whiplash. The veteran character actor is in just a few scenes here, as a local sheriff helping a very annoying fellow (Fran Kranz).[6] | ” |
Sara Stewart of The New York Post gave the film more of a mixed review:
| “ | Heavy on quirk and light on wit, first-time director Gillian Greene’s comedy leans too heavily on the badly wigged Kranz, whose whiny and obsessive mannerisms make you wonder why Reed’s character shows any interest in him. Greene’s got a game supporting cast... but they’re all hampered by the screenplay’s lack of bite. Swing a dead cat here and you’ll hit a piece of limp dialogue.[7] | ” |
References
- 1 2 "Murder of a Cat | 2014 Tribeca Film Festival". Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
- 1 2 "'Murder Of A Cat' Adds Nikki Reed". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
- ↑ "Fran Kranz Replaces Jay Baruchel In Murder Of A Cat". CinemaBlend.com. 2012-08-14. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
- ↑ "Murder of a Cat Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ Rex Reed. "Rex Reed Reviews ‘Murder of a Cat’". Observer. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ "'Murder of a Cat': Movie review". New York: NY Daily News. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ Stewart, Sara (2014-12-03). "All-star cast can’t save the dialogue in ‘Murder of a Cat’ | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2015-02-10.