Tomcats

  • Review Date: June 24, 2003
  • R
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2002
 Review

Common Sense Media says

A parade of labored sex gags and bathroom humor.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that abundant sleaze, dislikeable characters, and bad-taste humor (that, even worse, isn't funny most of the time) make this movie a must-miss.

  • Men and women look equally bad. Hispanic characters show up as maids or drug-dealers. TOMCATS is a parade of labored sex gags and trashy bathroom humor. One joke involves amputated testicles.
  • A police shootout. A woman run over by a golf cart. Fist-fighting. The hero is chained up, literally, by a mousy librarian. A rock-climbing accident that parodies Mission Impossible 2. A gun battle in a drug house, played mainly for laughs (but wit
  • Actual nudity is only glimpsed on a fuzzy TV monitor, but there are abundant scantily-clad women. Most of the sex is off-camera and mainly referenced in the dialogue. Male masturbation. Some sado-masochism.

What's the story?

In TOMCATS, cartoonist Michael (Jerry O'Connell) and his friend Kyle (Jake Busey) are the only two bachelors left in an bet among seven young men who wagered money on which of them would be the last to get married. Michael is in debt and desperate to win, and it looks like that might happen when Kyle meets Natalie (Shannon Elizabeth) -- but then Michael begins to have feelings for her, too.


Is it any good?

 

You know you're in trouble with Tomcats when the opening-credits cartoon (remember, the lead character is supposed to be a comic-strip artist) quickly turns R-rated, with a pair of animated kitties pawing Jessica Rabbit-type caricatures of femininity. And that's the best part of the feature. Well, that and a cameo by Politically Incorrect funnyman Bill Maher as a sardonic gangster. You wish the script had followed that Top Dog instead.

But it doesn't. Tomcats is a parade of labored sex gags and trashy bathroom humor, as the rather unsympathetic Michael and the offended Natalie (who, other than looking pretty, isn't granted much personality) scheme against the despicable Kyle. In one subplot the filmmakers try to push the envelope of outrageousness with a joke sequence of Michael pursuing Kyle's slippery, amputated testicle (yes, testicle) through a hospital. This sicko bit doesn't advance the plot one inch; it's just there to gross you out, like a slob who insists in showing off his gaping mouthful of chewed food. Bottom line: Avoid this movie at all costs, as there's nothing here for any member of the family.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about what sets some raunchy comedies apart from others.


This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Amazing,u cant stop laughing!!!!!
I luvd this movie,u just cnt stop laughing!!! xD

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Teen, 17 years old
June 29, 2009
 
gross and not funny
First of all, it's rated pg-13 not rated R. Secondly, if you think its so bad, why rate it with five stars? tomcats is disgusting i almost threw up. Dont let your kids watch this movie. It's about cheating and having sex.

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This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Studio:Columbia Tristar
Director:Gregory Poirier
Cast:Jake Busey, Jerry O'Connell, Shannon Elizabeth
Genre:Comedy
Run time:105 minutes
Theatrical release date:June 3, 2002
DVD release date:June 3, 2002
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong sexual content including dialogue, and for language

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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