From Pioneer Films - JENNIFER GARNER STARS IN HEARTWARMING MAGICAL FAMILY MOVIE “NINE LIVES”

Award-winning actress Jennifer Garner, who recently starred in the endearing faith-based movie “Miracles from Heaven” stars anew in “Nine Lives,” an inspiring magical family movie about a work-obsessed real-estate mogul who suffers a magical accident that leaves him trapped inside the body of a cat and realizes he has to put his family first if he ever hopes to regain his human form.

 

“Nine Lives” also stars award-winning Kevin Spacey as Tom Brand who is undeniably successful, impossibly wealthy but is an unapologetic jerk. Striving to build the tallest skyscraper in the Northern Hemisphere, the daredevil billionaire will sacrifice anything — even the love of his family — to complete an architectural marvel nearly as gargantuan as his ego. Tom’s workaholic lifestyle has alienated his long-suffering family, including his devoted wife Lara (Garner), neglected adult son David (Robbie Amell) and starved-for-attention young daughter Rebecca (Malina Weissman).

When Rebecca’s 11th birthday arrives, the girl begs her father for the same present she asks for every year: a cat. Tom hates cats, but reluctantly finds himself in a magical pet shop owned by the quirky Felix Perkins (Christopher Walken). The peculiar proprietor knows exactly what Brand needs — and its name is Mr. Fuzzypants. After suffering a fateful accident on the way to Rebecca’s birthday party, a horrified Tom discovers that while his human form is lying comatose in a hospital bed, he is watching events unfold from inside the body of the cat. Trapped inside Mr. Fuzzypants and trying desperately to make his loved ones aware of his situation, he soon realizes that if he is ever to earn back his human existence, he must reconnect with his family and become the husband and father they deserve.

At the heart of his family is his beautiful, understanding wife Lara. Director Sonnenfeld says that as soon as he read the script he formed a mental image of the actress who would portray the character. “Jennifer Garner was always my first choice to play Kevin’s wife,” he explains. “She’s beautiful, strong and funny — qualities that don’t always go together.”

The actress is happy to be at the center of the film’s three-ring circus. “I am the poor mom at home with a husband in a coma, a confused daughter — and a cat who’s acting crazy, getting drunk and being totally wild and inappropriate,” she laughs. “And I’m trying to figure it all out.”

“Lara is pretty even keeled,” she adds. “She’s warm, sensible, loving — but she’s fed up with her husband. I think Lara and Tom have a real marriage and that she genuinely loves him. She’s starting to try to set boundaries, saying, ‘This is not enough for me, and it’s certainly not enough for our daughter, so you better show up.’ And he just fails again and again.”

Jennifer Garner is confident that moviegoers of all ages will enjoy the film. “I don’t think audiences can help having a great time hearing Kevin Spacey’s droll, grumpy cat voice come out of Mr. Fuzzypants,” she says. “With Kevin as the cat, we were all in stitches. Between Christopher Walken, the beautiful Malina, and the wonderful Robbie Amell and Mark Consuelos, this movie is in good shape. It’s incredibly watchable, and funny and warm.”

 

 “Nine Lives” opens August 17 in cinemas nationwide from Pioneer Films.

DAD BECOMES CAT IN MAGICAL FAMILY MOVIE “NINE LIVES”

From the director the worldwide blockbuster action comedy film “Men In Black,” filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld brings together a cast of actors in his latest family movie “Nine Lives” led by Kevin Spacey with Jennifer Garner, Robbie Amell, Malina Weissman, Christopher Walken and Cheryl Hines.

In “Nine Lives,” an immensely successful businessman who has built an empire at the expense of any sort of true human connection, Tom Brand (Spacey) is surrounded by good people who love him in spite of his skyscraper-sized flaws. But it isn’t until he finds himself with four paws and a tail that Tom realizes how lucky he’s been.

A unique mix of heartwarming family fare, supernatural mystery and slapstick comedy, “Nine Lives” also delivers the thrill of seeing one of the most talented actors of our time inhabiting the body of an adorable cat named Mr. Fuzzypants. Hearkening back to films as diverse as It’s a Wonderful Life, Big and Freaky Friday, it’s a concept that should appeal to audiences from 5 to 85 — and one that Kevin Spacey was excited to join.

“For me, this is a great opportunity because I love doing comedy,” explains the two-time Oscar® winner. “People often think of me in a darker, more evil kind of part. But it’s a great joy for me to be able to come to work every day and do something that’s really funny, really fast and very clever.”

Sonnenfeld, whose long list of hits also includes “The Addams Family,” “Get Shorty” and “Wild Wild West,” says the film falls squarely in his wheelhouse. “It’s what I do as a filmmaker: It’s fantasy and it’s funny but it’s also real,” explains the director. “It’s a very funny movie in a fantastic situation that somehow is totally grounded in reality.”

According to co-writer Ben Shiffren, the goal of the script was to tell a story with humor and heart about a man who has alienated his family by spending all his time at the office and is forced, through a magical intervention, to reassess his priorities. “We wanted the tone be a bit more mature than just a typical ‘cat hijinks’ movie, so parents are able to appreciate it as well as kids,” he adds.

At the same time, the writers wanted to mine the rich comedic potential of a self-centered and controlling person trapped in a pet’s body, says co-writer Daniel Antoniazzi. “Part of Tom Brand’s karmic punishment for ignoring his family is that he gets to hear what they think of him, and hear how they miss him, how they love him. But also how he’s done wrong, the times he’s missed out on life events.”

Producer Jonathan Vanger describes “Nine Lives” as a light-hearted comedy with “a lot of fun things in it, including animals, children and some great actors.” He credits Sonnenfeld with bringing it all together into a fresh, funny, family-friendly fable. “I’ve seen all of Barry’s movies, but I hadn’t met the man before working on this film. He is extremely efficient and knows exactly what he wants. It’s a delight to work with a director who is that well organized, and is able to make the movie he wants, almost editing it in the camera as he goes along. It’s pretty impressive.”

Family movie “Nine Lives” opens August 31 in cinemas nationwide from Pioneer Films. Trailer of Nine Lives:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lppZ9i1KcTk&list=PLPzPHkB8W5ae_dDnQ180cNi_modwkqgIv