P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!

Steve Guttenberg has always exuded a certain likeability which he carried through many money making mediocrities. It's always intriguing when a performer takes a surprising direction in his career especially when that direction is clearly a more meaningful one.

It was with a lot of goodwill that I approached "P.S. Your Cat Is Dead" which Guttenberg not only stars in but directs as well. However, as the movie progressed so did this goodwill fast begin to fade.

The cardinal mistake for Guttenberg was in taking on the role of director. As an actor he acquits himself fairly well, but his directorial ineptitude pretty much sinks this project. The cast of fairly unknown actors have moments of embarrassing amateurism. Even the much experienced Shirley Knight, in a small role, seems terribly ill at ease.

It's a great pity, for in the hands of an accomplished director this could have been an entertaining and even moving film, which unfortunately it remains very far from being.

I picked up this film at my local Blockbuster following a bitter breakup. I was in such a depressed mood I didn't think anything could help me out. I decided to take a chance since I'm a big fan of the novel.

The gamble was worth it. Within two minutes, I was smiling and having a wonderful time. The movie helped me put things into perspective. Things could be more dire than my situation; I could be Jimmy (or worse, Eddie).

Lombardo Boyar should have gotten an Academy Award for his role as Eddie the would-be cat burglar. He made this a lot of fun to watch. Steve Guttenberg fared well at both directing and playing the half-crazed Jimmy Zoole.

I highly recommend it for anyone who's a fan of the novel or has just had a horrendous day. I must warn you, however, that you have to have a sort of strange sense of humor to appreciate the movie.

Guttenberg is stabbed while on the phone with Olivier in Boys From Brazil and we believe him. In Cocoon and Short Circuit, he is ebullient, almost to a fault. So which is PS Your Cat Is Dead? Guttenberg as Actor-Director shows his strengths as a mature, light handed artist. We expect to see the actor at work behind the mask, or the Director favor himself too much on camera, but no - the grubby, self absorbed attitude of the character draws us into the narrative and we believe it. This film will do very well among quality film buffs especially in San Francisco, New York and West Los Angeles. I'm sure it will take off in Paris and Berlin. It's a personal ride, executed with dignity in a tight plausible style. It's easy to sneer at stars doing something smaller and limited, but this one has authored a film that carries itself and does none of the performers anything but good.

Funny stuff. I laughed my ass off. I went in on a whim and I was glad that I did. It was a real emotional roller coaster. I couldn't make up my mind with what they were trying to say with the ending, but aside from that it was fun.

I am the owner of the official website of the great, late actor, Sal Mineo. I rented this as Sal was starring in the hit play shortly before his murder, which is now this film, and I was curious. I am impressed! Lombardo Boyer plays the role Sal was playing, and gave me an idea of what Sal's performance was like in the play. Boyer is great! Steve Guttenberg is great here too, who also adapted this to film and directed it. I am suprised it wasn't released by a bigger studio! The credits dedicate the film to SAL MINEO!! Bless you, Steve.