Many years from now, Tom Hooper’s “Cats” will be remembered as a movie so bad in execution that it became the stuff of meme legend. Yes, with a tepid 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes and, when all is said and done, expected losses to be near the $100 million mark, the Broadway musical adaptation appears destined for all-time stinker-dom. However, most intriguingly, there seems to be a subset of people who have actually found a way to enjoy the movie while tripping out on drugs.
The kitschy dreaminess of the film, not to mention the uber-bizarre CGI, has had many viewers of the film stating that they decided to see “Cats” under the influence of drugs, such as marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD, and loved every second of it. This according to a Washington Post report which has a handful of “reviews” from those interviewed after watching “Cats” while on drugs.
“The most incredible cinematic experience of my life.”
“The most terrifying experience of my life. I swear to God my soul escaped me.”
“Cried both times. Planning on going two more times.”
“Vomited four times but ultimately understood the film on a deep level.”
“Had a panic attack in the middle of it . . . right after Taylor Swift sang ‘Macavity.’ ”
Indeed, “Cats” as a sober experience seems to be a movie that is very hard to follow because, well, there really is no plot. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, there actually is nary a coherent story in the film. It is basically about these cats auditioning for eternal life in some kind of heaven-like utopia meant as a place of rebirth for cats.
The “rowdy screenings” of the film at Alamo Drafthouses nationwide seems to have directed “Cats” to its ultimate calling. This certainly is further proof, as I assumed a few weeks back, that “Cats” has the potential of becoming some kind of cult classic in the years to come — maybe one in the same vein as other kitschy movie musicals from the 1970s, such as “The Phantom of the Paradise” and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This new stoner crowd has now given “Cats” a new kind of shelf life well after it leaves theaters.
Denzel playing a broken ex-cop with nothing to lose, under McQuarrie's direction? We all know Washington loves to attach himself to redemption stories. It's his bread and butter.