Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Cats" (2019)

Scene from Cats (2019)

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

A Wrap-Up of the 2019-2020 Oscar Season

Janelle Monae

At long last, the Oscar season is over. And much quicker than usual this year. That is why it feels absolutely strange to be saying goodbye already. It feels like there should be another few weeks for people to catch up on Oscar nominees, hold a conversation about why Jojo Rabbit was the dark horse Best Picture winner some expected it to be. It's one of the joys/frustrations that are lost to this adapted schedule, but in some ways, it's for the best. Where some years feel interminable, lasting so long that one can't help but resent half of the nominees, this one feels like a blip. Maybe it's something that the lower-than-average viewer ratings would suggest. Still, it was an interesting year existing in "The New Academy," where a new generation is rising and the definition of a winner is changing slowly. Was it the best year? It wasn't the worst. It was somewhere in the middle, where there's a need for change, but is exciting for making bold wins that proved just how great cinema has been. 

The Memory is Over as Universal Stops Campaigning for "Cats"

Scene from Cats (2019)

At this point, director Tom Hooper's Cats has been a universal meme of poor studio decisions and surrealistic nightmares involving Rebel Wilson's costume change. There are those who are going for a good time, while others have outright called it the worst movie of 2019. For a film that was once primed to get some Oscar traction, this has been a rough two weeks. Now, with only a single full week of release behind them, the worst news of all has come: Cats is bowing out of the awards race. Many saw it coming, but it wasn't until recently that Universal Studios removed Cats from its For Your Consideration page, and thus bids the end for the film. The good times have come to an end for Cats, and with that its status as one of the oddest Christmas releases of the decade (possibly ever) will forge ahead of its own legacy, whatever that may be. 

Review: "Cats" is at Its Best When Nothing Makes Sense

Scene from Cats (2019)

How do you adapt a musical like Cats into the cinematic landscape? That is the question that has been asked for almost 40 years as Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit show has existed in pop culture. It is to Broadway what the Transformers movies were to action cinema: relatively dumb to everyone except those who can appreciate the craft it brings to the medium. Even then, with feline/human Animorphs designs, how was it ever supposed to appeal to a general audience? It couldn't. Director Tom Hooper has made a film that feels as misunderstood as its opening moment when Victoria (Francesca Hayward) is thrown out onto Jellicle row in a bag. Those willing to look at it and see the craft may be able to appreciate what lies inside. Everyone else will give it a Razzie because, let's face it, even if it's a good adaptation of Cats, Cats is still Cats and you can only take a show about dancing cats so seriously. 

"Cats" Hacks a Hair Ball at the Box Office

Scene from Cats

Things just keep getting worse for Cats. In just a week, the film featured some of the year's worst reviews with many bashing the visual design of characters. Then, to make matters worse, director Tom Hooper came forward to say that there was a cut coming to theaters this week with "improved" special effects. In one of the more predictable moves, its choice to open opposite Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker may have backfired, as the film becomes a rare Christmas season movie musical bomb. No, the good cheer towards our whiskered friends wasn't enough to draw out audiences, and one has to wonder if things will ever rebound. After all, cats are known for having nine lives. What are the odds that Cats could have just as many?

In an Unprecedented Move, "Cats" to Get Improved Effects After a Few Days in Release

Scene (?) from Cats

It was never going to be easy for the cinematic version of Cats. The film comes over 40 years after its Broadway debut that made it one of the biggest shows in its history. The reviews haven't been any more favorable, and that leads some to wonder if it's even in the Oscar race anymore. Well, for those who saw Cats in the first 48 hours need to know that the version they saw no longer exists. No, the film wasn't pulled out of theaters due to embarrassment (in fact, Twitter will have you convinced it's a celebration of poor taste enthusiasts and theater kids). It's just getting a small update. Yes, despite being publicly released the film is pulling the unprecedented move of creating an "improved" version with better visual effects. It's a fascinating call, especially since what exactly is "improved" for Cats?

The "Cats" Oscar Campaign is Officially Down to Its Last Life as Bad Reviews Surface

Scene from Cats (2019)

Well, it was a fun ride while it lasted. Whether it existed as a serious thought or was something of a joke, the Oscar campaign for Cats has officially been declawed. The past week hasn't been its finest moment starting with the near exclusion from major Golden Globe nominations (Taylor Swift *did* get a song nomination for "Beautiful Ghosts") followed by their new song not making the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song. It was a terrible way to build-up to the world premiere of the film this past week, which promised to have a memorable reaction even if this film was miraculously a masterpiece. Sadly, the embargo has lifted and things haven't played out too well for director Tom Hooper's sophomore movie musical. While it may still get some tech nominations (though let's face it, that's not likely), it's all but over for this kitty. Let's pour one out for the film, sitting pretty at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Oscar campaign dream that is all but a memory now. 

Check This Out: "Cats" Enters the Best Original Song Category with Taylor Swift's "Beautiful Ghosts"

Scene from Cats (2019)

Somehow, everyone knew that it just had to happen. With director Tom Hooper's Cats marking the major movie musical of the Christmas season, it just had to sneak into the Best Original Song category somehow. With that said, the moment is finally here and the song that likely exists only for Oscar punditry is "Beautiful Ghosts." While there's still a long way to go until its premiere, there's at least now some sense of what the soundtrack will sound like. With Taylor Swift offering her vocals to the song, it is a curious little ditty that feels like it will be big on emotions, vying for a chance to win the category over whatever Frozen II puts forward. Still, it's a decent song and one that reflects a familiar trend for longtime fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber's film adaptations. 

If "Cats" Is Not Careful, It Will Miss Key Awards Voting Deadlines

Scene from Cats (2019)

Next to Avengers: Endgame and Joker, the film that most haven't stopped talking about are director Tom Hooper's Cats. It's hard to tell how much of that buzz is genuine excitement and how many wants to believe they're seeing the next big trainwreck. However, given that the last three films that Hooper has made (The King's Speech, Les Miserables, and The Danish Girl) all won at least one Oscar, it's hard to not consider him out of the race entirely. Even then, there's one factor that will play against him if things aren't so careful: time. Yes, time finds Hooper and his Jellicle cats finding a deadline that could hurt their Oscar chances if they're not careful. With the threat of missing deadlines for major awards branches like the Golden Globes, Cats may have trouble getting much traction. 

The First Trailer for "Cats" (2019) is Here to Get Stuck in Your Memory

Scene from Cats (2019)

It was seven years ago that director Tom Hooper managed to turn Les Miserables into an Oscar-winning movie. While many complained about the close-ups, the bombastic nature and sheer dedication to such an iconic musical made it one of the boldest films of his career. With that in mind, nothing is likely to compare to Cats, his next musical and the first film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber juggernaut. Considering how divisive his last musical was, it's not going to be easy for audiences to get on board with a film about singing and dancing cats. As the first trailer, dropped with much anticipation and months of build-up, finally arrives it asks the viewer to start expecting something weird and different, much like the stage show itself.