Nine Lives Movie: Cute Family Comedy (Especially for Cat Lovers)

My family attended an advanced screening of the Nine Lives movie and an interview with Cheryl Hines (who plays the ex-wife in the movie). Nine Lives opened in theaters last Friday (8/5). In case you haven’t seen the Nine Lives trailer already, here it is…

My family really enjoyed watching the body switch movie. We thought that it was cute and fun. With the popularity of cat videos on YouTube, BuzzFeed and the rest of the Internet, there is already a built-in “aww” factor. Besides, it can seem as if we live in such a self-centered, money-hungry society so it was also great that the movie reminds us of the importance of investing in families, not just businesses. (On a side note, my sons recognized the actress who plays the daughter. She also plays the role of young Kara in the Supergirl television show, a family favorite.)

The Nine Lives movie has some award-winning actors (including Kevin Spacey, Christopher Walken and Jennifer Garner) in lead roles but you will be disappointed if you’re expecting an amazing, Academy-award winning type of production. Nine Lives is not that type of movie. Also note that even though the movie is family friendly overall, there are scenes with the ex-wife getting tipsy at a kids’ party and the family contemplating pulling the plug/ending the life of the father. I still think that many people will enjoy the Nine Lives movie. As a non-media friend whose family paid to see the movie said:

I had fun seeing it…and the cat was cute.

The interview with Cheryl Hines was also cool. My photographer friend Sissi, who sees things “differently” than most people, says that I remind her of Cheryl Hines. In addition to the whole black/white thing, I just don’t see it.

Maybe it’s because we both have big smiles?

Anyway, a few things stood out to me from the interview with Cheryl Hines, who plays the ex-wife in the movie…

1. When she was growing up, her family had up to 17 outdoor cats! (I can’t even imagine that. Just one family cat sent my husband Reggie to the emergency room.)

2. She is helping to make sure that her real daughter doesn’t grow up to be a “mean girl” like her onscreen daughter in Nine Lives by teaching her empathy.

I‘m always telling my daughter, if there’s a new kid coming to school, your job is to introduce yourself to that kid, make sure that you introduce her to another kid today, and just think about how you would feel if it was your first day of school and you didn’t know anybody.

3. Making her blended families thrive is something that she works at in real life…not just in the Nine Lives movie.

One of the things that I like about this movie is that I think it paints a pretty accurate picture of families now because, I mean, we all come in different ages, shapes, sizes, colors, combinations. So, in real life, I have a stepson who’s 30, and I have a daughter who’s 12. So, I think it’s good to just see that we’re all in it together. And you just have different relationships with different kids.

In any event, my family enjoyed the movie and the interview. I‎f you are looking for a fun family movie, get your tickets for Nine Lives today.

Disclosure: Thanks to EuropaCorp for hosting my family at the private advanced screening.