Murder of a Cat

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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:

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[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:

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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:

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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

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External links


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