User reviews

OK, I agree that this is no Citizen Kane, but I was amazed at the critical reviews and low IMDb score.

I think perhaps to appreciate this you need to be particularly fond of cats and/or been a cat owner. But if you are then this film is a perfectly serviceable slice of family entertainment, and frankly there are much, much worse films out there. Kevin Spacey and Chris Walken are dependable as always and I think there is plenty about this that kids will enjoy. Worth a look as a Sunday afternoon family film in my opinion, or perhaps as something you can put on to keep the kids amused.

I must say, the story and plot line were both fantastic as ever! My downside to this review is the entertainment factor. I had to pause the movie to take a phone call, and then realized, 30 minutes after the phone call ended, that I was still supposed to be watching this movie. It did not have me hooked on enough to remember that I was watching it. Don't get me wrong, it was kind of cool actually, with the characters and the whole set up and dialogue exchanged were really personable and seemed very realistic and natural, and some of the animations were great and some were kind of off at some points, but it was not too bad. What I liked the most was probably the ending scenes where it all comes together and the moral of the story was so beautiful that I still hold on to it.

Great movie for kids and pet lovers. Some sweet moments. What's more important in life, lots of money or family. Language was mild, no memorable cursing. Clean movie.

Christopher Walken played the part of a mysterious man with mystical connections who runs a pet shop with cats. These cats can become receptacles for humans who need to learn what's really important in life.

Keven Spacey plays the billionaire whose greatest dream is to build the tallest building in North America.

Jennifer Garner is the wife and mother. Their little girl wants a kitten for her birthday. Dad is not happy with that but ends up getting a cat.

Don't want to say much more or I'll spoil the movie.

I've read some awful reviews about this movie and my expectations were set low. I was expecting to be dragged by my kids to a mix of "Baby Geniuses 2" and "Battlefield Earth". But I was pleasantly surprised. This movie won't win any Oscars, but its a reasonable kids movie. Kids liked it, and I was OK with it. Yes, the plot is predictable, and the jokes are pretty flat, but they are geared toward 10 year olds and adults who really like cats, and that is what is expected from a kids movie about a cat. If you hate cats, well, don't see it, see "Shaggy Dog" instead, its virtually the same plot, except its a different type of a pet. I think this movie is OK and I look forward to seeing new incarnations of the same plot in the future movies, such as "Being Goldie" (hint, hint movie studio, in about 10 years we will be ready for another one of those plots)

Inoffensive little title. I hadn't seen anything by Kevin Spacey since his ouster from Hollywood, and watched this on DVD in Feb 2023. Was nice to see him, he automatically brings some gravitas to the screen. Watched it with my neighbours, the teenage boy "spoiled" it in the first couple of minutes by telling me that Spacey becomes a cat but I pretty much guessed that had to be the thrust of the film just by looking at the title. Like other reviewers note, this ain't Shakespeare and there are definitely no real surprises, but it was a comforting and family friendly thing we could comfortably watch together. I thought it would be too much for me - we lost their 20-year old ragdoll just a day ago to kidney disease - but this was actually a nice diversion and got our minds off our grief. For 80 minutes their house that had suddenly become quiet and empty was once again brought to life. Watch this with the kids.

I was amazed to see the poor ratings, and assume it's more about the fact many do not for some reason like cats, rather than anything substantial about the movie.

This is a movie you can take the kids to, and who most likely enjoy it.

The movie is a little predictable, which is fine for a movie like this, and if you ended up liking some of the characters, acceptable. Good character development of the major roles, and believable in the business sense of most people.

It portrays a believable metamorphosis of a too-busy father and husband who underwent a change, much to his dismay, at just the right time. Think the "Virgin Group" and Richard Branson for a real-life example of a similar group of companies owned by a 'dynamic' but criticize-able individual.

Good choice in a child actor; she was believable and earnest, and even very much resembled her 'mother' in the movie.

I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone willing to admit they like cats and are hopeful that poor parents can be turned around.

Top 10 worst movies I've seen in my life. Part of it is that this idea is so used that it is just like watching Shaggy Dog but even stupider. Kevin Spacey which is one of the best of all time now tainted his reputation with this. When I saw the trailer I asked myself what are Kevin Spacey and Cristopher Walken doing in this. I asked if I could have my money back. An ELEVEN Metascore is just so bad that I cant even process why Kevin did this. I would love to ask him why did he do this. Now enough about Kevin because everything was just so bad. The acting was horrible and the screenplay was very poor. Anyone who reads this DO NOT WATCH NINE LIVES it is a waste of money.

It's not perfect but not bad at all. Kids would like it. Cat lovers would like it. I'd see it again

From a legal standpoint, and by that, I am referring to Writer's Guild regulations, according to the on-screen credits, it appears as though the screenplay was begun by (Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson) and then subsequently rewritten by (Dan Antoniazzi & Ben Shiffrin), before Gwyn Lurid completed the final shooting script. (For legal reasons, writers who collaborate together have their names linked with an ampersand, " & ". while those who worked separately have their names separated by the word "and", according to the Writer's Guild regulations). It took five writers, at three different stages to dream up this horribly dated story of a corporate exec whose soul ends up trapped in the body of a cat?

It feels like this may have been written in the early 1990s, storyboarded in the early to mid 90s (judging by the wardrobe and colour composition), but not filmed until 2015, and then sat unreleased for a further year, before being scraped out of the kitty litter box, and flung at cinema screens.

Incredibly lame, with out-dated references (I counted at least two references to W. Bush, who left office nearly eight years prior to this film's release) and poorly done (and out of place) time lapse photography, and a mishmash of a screenplay which includes only a handful of Jokes, none of which are funny.

... but this is one of those body/soul switch films with a twist versus the average script about this thing. No old man getting to feel young again. No teenager in mom's body suddenly having to watch her carb intake or find out she's gained five pounds overnight.

Instead, this is a silly, predictable, yet very entertaining, piece of fluff about a wealthy builder (Kevin Spacey) who manages to get trapped inside a cat's body. The cat, named Mr. Fuzzypants, spends most of the film trying to get people to realize he is really Spacey, while Spacey lies in a coma. Along the way, there is some business intrigue, as Spacey's underlings attempt to take over his company. Will Mr. Fuzzypants save the day? Jennifer Garner plays Spacey's current wife, and she looks great. Spacey's first wife, played by Cheryl Hines, wears some of the tightest clothes in history and adds just the right amount of bi... - ahem - "crankiness" to her role. There are some laugh-out-loud scenes, such as when Mr. Fuzzypants tries to sneak past security guards who happen to be watching cat videos.

Christopher Walken, as the very weird pet shop owner, is perfectly cast. I admire anyone who can deliver his lines with a straight face, all the while wearing a three-piece green suit and bow-tie.

Recommended for the silliness and fun of it all.

I went into this movie with no expectations at all. Come on! It's 2016 and we get a talking cat movie? How did this even get a theatrical release!? Boy was I wrong! This might be one of the best movies of the summer in fact. The humor is on point, and the acting is overall really great! Oddly enough, Kevin Spacey might be the worst of the bunch. Maybe he had the same expectations as me? Oh well, that did not ruin the movie! Christopher Walken gives his best performance since Seven Psychopaths, Cheryl Hines is as always lovely and hilarious, and the young Malina Weissman.. She's gonna be a star! That's all I gotta say. And there's jokes for both kids and adults, so don't worry if you think this looks like a cheesy kids film - It's not!

The movie had me rolling with laughter and an ending that actually made me tear up a bit. This is on par with Pixar/Disney movies like Inside Out, Toy Story, Zootopia.

Make sure Nine Lives is the movie you don't miss! IT'S THE SLEEPER HIT OF THE YEAR!

However, for a outstanding cat movie, look for Disney's "The 3 Lives of Tomasina (1963). Similar to "Just Like Heaven" wherein Reese Witherspoon's soul is trapped as a ghost outside her comatose body, this version has a corporate CEO (Kevin Spacey) trapped in a cat's body, "Mr. Fuzzypants". (The alternate Australian Title.) Not well-explained is why or how the creepy pet shop owner (Christopher Walken) snatches the "spirit" from certain death. It must be a curse, as the poor man must "repent" or stay a cat forever, while his human body remains in a coma. Similar to "Just Live Heaven" as so many people are itching to "pull-the-plug". This is troubling, as he tries desperately to communicate to several people, including his 2nd wife and young daughter, that he is not dead! Some unneeded "potty" humor. What saves this movie for me is the extraordinary CGI and cat behaviors. Therefore, just "purrfect" for cable viewing. Great cast in an unoriginal script. Little kids might like it because the cat is so good! Bombed in the USA but made money overseas. Go figure?

Who is this aimed for? You'd think kids, right? But what kid wants to watch all these endless boardroom scenes and business talk about who's going to take over a company? I don't even want to watch that level of boringness as an adult!

Apart from that, the cat cgi is uncanny and uncomfortable, and the plot has been seen so many times already that it's just tedious to sit through yet another version of it.

There is one good point to the movie though, just one. Christopher Walken is clearly the best character here, as the oddball cat whisperer. The film still sucks but at least he's enjoyable to watch. To be honest they should have just made a film about the cat store instead...

Nine Lives is a Disney-like film that reminded me a bit of Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Since I review movies quite a bit, I pay attention to the critics. Since they were not kind to this film, I let it leave theaters. My 9-year-old daughter asked me to watch it with her tonight and I was amazed at how funny and well made it was. This is another reminder to not always trust the critics.

The cat they got to play in this film is great. He's very hairy which makes you want to hug him. Unfortunately, I could never have a cat that hairy because it sheds and makes my nose itch. But this cat does great on the screen. I had feared there wouldn't be enough cat stuff for my daughter after reading the premise of the film. I'm happy to say there is enough cat-on-screen time to satisfy the kids' curiosity.

In my previous review of The Secret Life of Pets, I mentioned that I had two dogs and a cat. Their companionship is something I always look forward to in the evening when their ready to plop themselves on my lap as I watch some Netflix. Whenever I watch something involving household pets (and most animals when their not villains), I suddenly get a feeling more for them then their human leads. In fact when I saw Krampus, I thought to myself that the monster could do anything they wanted to the adults and their children, but nothing better happen to the bulldog.

The reason I bring this up is that animals have an interesting place in movies. They may be around to build atmosphere and possibly serve the characters, but we have a lot of care for them. That has to do with the fact that animals don't have a lot of the conditional emotions that humans have in their thinking. Because of that, we see them as more innocent and don't want to see them get hut in a realistic context. This only breaks when the animal is suddenly given a voice and human personality. If you see Nine Lives, you'd wish that the cat in question would have gotten putted down.

Tom Brand (played by Kevin Spacy) is the president of a major corporation that lends it's name on several products. He loves his title and even goes as far to skydiving to show that he can do anything. He devotes so much time to his job, he has little time for his adult son David (played by Robbie Amell), his wife Lara (played by Jennifer Garner) and young daughter Madison (played by Cheryl Hines). In fact, he's disliked by most people, including company vice president Ian Cox (played by Mark Consuls).

For his daughter's birthday, Tom purchases an adult cat at an odd cat shop run by an eccentric Felix Perkins (played by Christopher Walkin). He takes a detour from home by going back to the office for news. A lighting strike causes a body swap, putting Tom into the cat, while his body ends up in a coma. He's taken home by his wife and daughter while he takes in that he's a cat. The only one who knows is Felix to later tells him he has one week to reconcile with his family or be a cat forever.

Where do I even begin with this…strange and awful movie. Nine Lives, as a story is every body swap story done before like 18 Again, Freaky Friday, and The Change Up. This adds nothing new to the idea and follows each cliché beat for beat. The joke's never fire and neither do the emotional moments. This feels like a bad Disney movie from the 1970's, back when they were desperate to try anything.

The acting, while not bad, is uninspired. With a lot of big name stars like Kevin Spacy, Jennifer Garner and Christopher Walken, this is proof that no matter who you put into movie roles, you still need a good writer to carry them through.

It's shocking to see that Barry Sonnenfeld (the Men in Black series, The Addams Family series, etc…) directed Nine Lives. Though he might have done this for kids, the movie barely even looks like it had much of a budget. The film is full of shots that were obviously green-screened, visual effects that are obviously fake, and a tone that could really use some dark humor. This is seriously one of the worst family movies that I've seen.

I'll give this one cat litter boxes out of ten. There is nothing to be proud about Nine Lives. Everyone involved with the making of this movie should be ashamed of themselves. This makes the live action Garfield look like an Oscar winner. Children deserve better then this. This cat needs to be put to sleep and never wake up.

My roommates put on Nine Lives and what unfolded on the screen rapidly triggered primal "fight or flight" instincts in my brain. I massaged the deepest tissues of my temples hoping to reach my traumatized frontal lobes. My gaze was helpless and shifted from sad face to the next, each illumined by phone screens in futile attempts at distraction. Yet, no one was willing to turn the movie off and take control back of our lives. Soon I was paralyzed by the fear that if I acted on these impulses and ran out screaming into the night or assailed the TV with a hammer, my friends would judge me too pretentious to enjoy a simple little family flick like Nine Lives. When it was over, they said it had been "cute", and retired in defeat to their rooms. I can't believe I'm part of the same species as those who spawned this film/soul-crushing mind control experiment. Nine Lives make me wonder if there is any truth to David Icke's assertion that Hollywood is run by evil reptilian monsters masquerading as human beings.

Okay, is no one going to mention that this movie and Ghost have the exact plot line, just think about it, it's the same movie with some minor tweaks! I watched the two movies back to back and I couldn't help but notice all the similarities.

This is a movie that has been done a thousand times already and yes it still sucks after that many times.

This movie is not for kids nor is it for adults. It's not recommended for anybody.

Movie is so bad it angered me.

Everything is so cliché, so dumb. The writers for that piece of crap movie should be ashamed of themselves.