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Looking for Kitty (R)





Release Date: September 1st, 2006 (Quad Cinema) by THINKfilm.
DVD Release Date: October 24th, 2006
The Cast: Edward Burns, David Krumholtz, Chris Parnell, Rachel Dratch, Kevin Kash, Connie Britton, Max Baker.

Directed by Edward Burns.

BASIC PREMISE: Abe (Krumholtz) and Jack (Burns), his private investigator, search through New York City for Abe’s wife, Kitty, who mysteriously ran away with a rock star. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: Looking for Kitty has well-written, natural dialogue, but, for the most part, its plot meanders too often and lacks imagination. Essentially, writer/director Edward Burns skips the 1st Act and starts in the 2nd Act when Kitty has already disappeared. It would have helped to include at least a few initial scenes with the husband and wife spending time together to give an idea of what their relationship is like and if Kitty is actually worth all the trouble that Abe goes through just to find her. When he hires Jack to look for Kitty in Manhattan, they gradually form a friendship. Coincidentally, Jack’s wife has recently died, so he empathizes with Abe. However, it’s difficult for the audience to empathize with Abe when there’s not enough information about his wife other than the fact that she ran away with a rock star and that she doesn’t like that Abe spends too much time with the baseball team that he coaches. Throughout Abe and Jack’s adventure through downtown Manhattan, Abe briefly flirts with a drunken woman (Dratch) at a bar while Jack flirts with a new neighbor (Britton). Unfortunately, the meandering plot doesn’t go far enough creatively to be surprising or suspenseful. The script doesn’t allow enough details to surface about Abe and Jack to make them memorable, lively or more than one-dimensional. Many scenes do have a “slice of life” feel with organic dialogue and subtlety, but the third act seems contrived, awkward and somewhat underwhelming. On a positive note, David Krumholtz and Edward Burns both give decent performances and, as a director, Edward Burns wisely chooses dreary settings in downtown Manhattan which reflects Abe and Jack’s forlorn state of mind throughout much of this mildly entertaining film.

SPIRITUAL VALUE: Unfortunately, none.

INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: Unimaginative and often meandering.

NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 3

IN A NUTSHELL: Decent performances and natural dialogue barely compensate for a banal, underwhelming and meandering plot with forgettable characters.

RECOMMENDED WAY TO WATCH: VHS/DVD


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