Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Famous Dutch cat narrates cat videos; for cat lovers only.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Kitty Love: An Homage to Cats
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
KITTY LOVE: AN HOMAGE TO CATS is a one-hour Dutch documentary (in Dutch with English subtitles) narrated by Abatutu, a feline "star" of Dutch stage and screen. Via self congratulatory narration voiced by, well, a human, Abatutu describes his talent and inevitable rise to the top. A news reporter provides some backstory as she interviews the cat's owner, an animal handler who does non-human casting for movies and other entertainments. Between snippets of that constructed narrative are cat home videos, hundreds of clips of cats demonstrating the ability to be endlessly absorbed by the complexity of rolls of yarn, the enduring wetness of water, and the towering terror of little white bunnies.
Is It Any Good?
If one cat video per year is more than enough, Kitty Love: An Homage to Cats won't be for you. Only small kids and the most patient cat lovers will sit through this full hour of cats interacting with water, dogs, farm animals, birds, yarn, boxes, baskets, and a variety of other things and wildlife presented here. Even cat lovers may find the narration by "the most famous cat in the Netherlands," a bit too cute. The trainer who rescued Abatutu from possible euthanasia on a Dutch farm is also interesting enough to have provided around three minutes of absorbing insights into how animals are used in the entertainment industry, leaving only another 57 minutes for filler. It feels offensive to other struggling filmmakers around the world to contemplate the fact that one penny was spent on making this. On the other hand, it probably won't hurt anyone to have this playing on TV while everyone in the house is otherwise going about his or her busy day. Apart from that, Kitty Love most eloquently demonstrates that if you've seen one cat video, you've seen them all.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what humans love about animals. What do you find most lovable about cats?
Have you made your own cat home videos? What are some funny things that cats do?
Does this seem original? What are some ways to make light-hearted documentaries interesting?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : June 5, 2021
- Director : Mark Verkerk
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Run time : 60 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : June 26, 2021
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