Drama/Black Comedy ‧ 120m
Susanna Fogel adapts Kristen Roupenian’s Cat Person, starring Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun. The viral New Yorker story struck a chord with many readers back in 2017, calling it a great representation of modern dating. The fact that it took 6 years to get adapted is somewhat surprising. Director Fogel, co-writer of Booksmart, adds a lighter tone to the story to moderate success.
Margot (Jones) is a college sophomore who works at an art house cinema. She meets Robert (Braun), commenting on his purchase of Red Vines. He is noticeably older than her and after a couple of exchanges, he asks for her number. Surprising herself, she gives it to him. Typically this would be a meet-cute, but not in this film. Margot finds herself both attracted to him, but also hesitant. Things do not go particularly well for them, to put it simply. Though there are moments that toe the line of horror, this film never quite goes that direction. Instead it embraces the awkward and embrassasing aspects of dating and social expectations.
The film is quite faithful to Roupenian’s story, but there are a few additions. Michelle Ashford adapted the script and adds a good amount of humor, nuance, and a variety of tone. Margot’s fellow students are more fleshed out and Geraldine Viswanathan gives a great performance as Margot’s supportive but tough roommate. Most of the changes make sense for a film, though Ashford might have made Robert dorkier to a fault. In the New Yorker piece Robert takes Margot to a holocaust film, but in the film he takes her to The Empire Strikes Back. That’s a pretty big difference in characterization and hurts some of the subtlety. Additionally, the film continues well after Roupenian’s ending. Which adds a little more nuance perhaps, but might lessen the impact.
Fogel’s Cat Person is about miscommunication as well as the unfair expectations and dangers women experience, but also tries to be empathetic. The film has a blend of tones that might not balance out for some viewers. It comes off a little messy, but an on purpose kind of messy. The film is by no means light, but one wonders if it would be stronger were it darker. Fogel’s film is funny, albeit awkward, but still has the bite that Roupenian’s story had. Fans of the story will probably find a lot to like in this adaptation, but many will say the added ending misses the point of the original text. Fogel and Ashford get the point, they just want to say a little more.
Grade: B-