DIE ! DIE ! DIE ! (Tomcats (DVD))

Member Name: Beggar James

Product:	Tomcats (DVD)
Date:	28/12/01 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Everything single, little thing about this film is dreadful

'Tomcats' is another in the recent trend of 'gross-out' style comedies, films that push back the boundaries of good taste in order to make the audience laugh. Although I have greatly enjoyed many entries in this sub genre, such as 'American Pie', and even 'Dude, Where's My Car?’ 'Tomcats' left me cold. It is a lazy, calculated attempt to cash in on the success of similar films, without any of their inventiveness or charm. 'Tomcats' is a perfect illustration of everything, which is wrong with this type of film, and a perfect example of how bad taste done badly can be simply distasteful. This film is neither offensive, shocking, nor funny.

What little plot there is centres round a bunch of hard partying, women chasing college buddies. Seven years ago, at the wedding of a friend, they devise contest, all placing money into an investment scheme. The last man to remain single wins the lot. Fast forward to the present day, and there are only two men left: the wacky, but sweet at heart Mike (Jerry O'Connell), and the frankly loathsome Kyle (Jake Busey), both living life to the full, attempting to bed as many of the opposite sex as possible. When Mike runs into some money trouble with a bunch of lame Las Vegas mob types, he decides to speed up the contest, bringing back on the scene Natalie (Shannon Elizabeth), a girl who Kyle was apparently sweet on. Mike and Natalie hatch a scam, in which she will marry Kyle, and the two of them will share the winnings. However, things get complicated when Mike realises that he may be falling for the leggy beauty...

To be honest, the likelihood of your enjoying 'Tomcats' pretty much depends on your reaction to the film's big set piece gag. Without getting into too much detail, it involves someone biting into and eating a cancerous testicle. If you find this hilarious, then this may well be the film for you.

This scene is fairly indicative of
the film as a whole. It simply imitates the best parts of other films, and attempts to take them one step further in terms of revulsion. So what we get is a stream of lowbrow, largely sexual humour, involving a dominatrix, lesbians and sperm.

This need not necessarily have been a bad thing, but in the talent less hands of writer/director Gregory Poirier, the film is a poorly paced, laugh free mess. Although this type of film is not heavily dependant on plot, 'Tomcats' has nothing at its centre, nothing driving the narrative. Instead, it throws together a number of slapstick sequences, loosely linked by a series of unbelievable contrivances. The result of this is that the film is slow and boring, two unforgivable sins in the genre of comedy.

What makes the film even worse are the characters, a horrible, detestable bunch. Whereas films like 'American Pie' have made the effort to establish their characters, no matter how thinly, 'Tomcats' makes the error of assuming we will like and relate to its protagonists simply because they are guys who want to get laid. Thus, instead of lovable figures like 'Stiffler', we get Mike and Kyle. These guys are not charming rogues, or wacky perverts. They are unlikable scum, who brag of things like having sex with a young girl while she is vomiting. As characters, they are so poorly, and so sketchily written, that we are forced to define them through incidents like this. Honestly, all the way through this film I was praying for their deaths. I would have gladly paid money to see them hit by cars, or be horribly mutilated at least.

The acting is terrible, with O'Connel and Busey doing nothing to salvage their characters. Worse, they spend the whole film mugging and grinning, as if they are completely oblivious to the viewers' loathing. O'Connel in particular displays an awesome lack of comedic talent, and should be forced at gunpoint to give up acting. I genuinel
y felt sorry for Shannon Elizabeth, who at least had to decency to look embarrassed through the whole affair.

Overall, I cannot advise viewers enough to give 'Tomcats' a wide berth. It is boring, unfunny, and features two of the most despicable, hateful characters ever committed to film.

Summary: