Do You Have a Cat?

"Do You Have a Cat?" is a polished comic short on so many levels - production value, writing, acting, music, pacing, etc. All of these elements come together seamlessly.

The most important aspect, in my opinion, is that the film brings a touching and comic humanity to the bisexual dating scene. What happens to Jess could happen to anyone - she just wants to find love and it doesn't matter who it has as long as they don't have a cat. I had a friend who's eyes would swell up monstrously every time he came around my cat so I know he would get a kick out of this film.

All in all, the characters grow on you and, when the eleven minutes are up, you're left wanting more.

It's hard to be funny in just a few minutes on a shoestring budget, but Jason Sax, Nicole Kristal and their sharp cast pull it off. There are lots of great little throwaway lines, as when Amber Benson's character looks out over a beautiful vista while hiking and mutters, "I hate nature." The movie doesn't try to force too much depth on its audience, but it does a nice job of depicting the minefield of stereotypes that all intrepid daters must navigate before getting to know someone for real. Oh, and get ready for some cute animals--probably another no-no of indie film production. Didn't someone say, "Never work with kids or animals"? But once again, they pull it off.

I was sort of curious about how I could be swept away by this short when I saw the title in the film festival guide. The answer: easily. The writing was sharp and funny, the acting didn't feel like acting and the director knew what he was doing. People have accused me of being stone-faced, but if something doesn't make me laugh, I can't fake it. I laughed out loud several times at the nuanced wit; obviously the writer is smart and funny, but thankfully she didn't feel the need to overload the film with "proof." Instead, she told a simple story of a bisexual woman looking for love, but who is thwarted again and again by cats and her allergies to them. I don't know how long the movie was, but it flew by and was by far the best the thing I saw that day. Just a delicious film.