This is a review of the film Nine Lives. This film will surely fascinate any teen whose dad is hardly at home. Just imagine your absentee dad being trapped in the body of your pet cat just so he could be forced to finally spend quality time with you! Creepy stuff; right? Well that’s exactly what happened to Tom Brand the dad in this film. He is a wealthy businessman who obsesses over building the tallest edifice in North America but at the expense of his family- daughter Rebecca (Melina Weismann) and wife Lara (Jennifer Garner). For that, Tom is taught the lesson of his life albeit in a rather mysterious and funny way.
It all begins with Rebecca’s fast-approaching birthday party. The eleven year old desires to get a cat as a special present in spite of her dad’s total dislike for cats. As the birthday finally comes, Tom fails to show up on time due to conflicting meeting schedules at the office. Lara repeatedly tries to get across to her husband but to no avail. She eventually gets him on the phone as Tom races home, reminding him that he is late and mandating him to buy that exceptional gift for their daughter as a way of appeasing the girl’s feelings. Left with no choice, Tom stops over at a pet shop owned by a mysterious-looking man named Felix Perkins. An awkward conversation with Felix Perkins leads Tom into reluctantly proposing to buy one of the many cats, a fluffy one named Mr. Fuzzypants.
As Tom is about leaving the pet shop, mysterious Mr. Perkins utters a puzzling statement which has Tom confused. But he leaves nonetheless. As he heads, Tom unfortunately gets involved in an accident; all part of Felix Perkins’ mysteriously-orchestrated plan to manipulate Tom into repentance. As Tom’s lifeless body is rushed to the hospital where he remains in a coma, his soul gets trapped inside the body of Mr. Fuzzypants much to his angst and of course Felix Perkins’ delight. The mysterious pet shop owner informs Tom’s spirit inside the cat that he has one week to re-establish meaningful relationship with his wife or else he will be stuck in the cat forever.
Meanwhile, back home, Rebecca is still worried over her daddy’s absence at the party and Lara her mother consoles her. Somewhere in the fridge awaits a special slice of the birthday cake for Tom. The following day, Mr. Fuzzypants is delivered to Rebecca who instantly falls in love with the pet. The cat on the other hand- manipulated by Tom’s spirit- proceeds to behave in several naughty ways, including intentionally peeing in Madison Camden’s expensive hand bag and tripping Rebecca’s phone into the lavatory as the tween tries to take a selfie with it.
Overtime, Tom’s spirit uses the cat to connect with his daughter as his voice could be heard during the recurrent monologue regretting how he wishes he had been a better bed. Rebecca on the other hand tells Felix Perkins that she thinks her dad is looking out for her through the cat. As these bizarre and yet undoubtedly events continue to unfold, Lara too could not help but notice the unusually human attributes exhibited by Mr. Fuzzypants. This both interests and puzzles her…
See the films trailer here Nine Lives Preview
