A film from 2020 that was weird was, Butt Boy. She’s Allergic to Cats movie is even weirder. I’ve enjoyed films like Greener Grass and The Art of Self Defense and both of those would be regarded as highly unusual as well. The aforementioned titles made sense though. I wanted to turn the ‘She’s Allergic to Cats’ film off. Looking back, I have no idea how I watched this weird movie to the end.
Perhaps it was because of the myriad of popular film references and the way the central character, Michael, obscured them. One of the opening conversations centers on Michael (played by Mike Pinkney) and his desire to make a movie like Carrie. Michael wants to make his Carrie movie about cats. Being a filmmaker is his passion and his day job is as a dog groomer. There are plenty of good movies about cats out there. This is not one of them.
And that’s only the tip of this weird movie iceberg. I wanted to like writer-director Michael Reich’s story about finding love but I didn’t connect with it and I couldn’t make sense of it. It’s his debut feature-length film. Reich was one of six directors listed on the compilation album of greatest hits for My Chemical Romance. He was the gold robot in Daft Punk and has directed other music videos too, like Ryan Adams, The Shins, and Bad Religion. So there, that’s a thing you know now.
Director – Writer Michael Reich
“She’s Allergic to Cats” was released in 2016. It had a short festival run starting at Fantasia. Its national release to iTunes and Amazon Prime Video was on April 7th, 2020. But I digress, back to the film.
The core of the story for I’m Allergic to Cates revolves around Michael, his dog grooming job, and the fact his apartment is overrun by rats. His landlord is not entirely proactive about his situation but then again neither is Michael. I couldn’t help constantly thinking about the fact he could just hire an exterminator and treat the problem himself.
Every single conversation in the film, which runs for what feels like a lifetime but is only 82 minutes is weird. But as I said earlier, the idea of wanting to see where Michaels’s developing pitch about a Carrie-inspired story made with cats was something I wanted to see out. The cinematography leans mostly toward experimental filmmaking. The majority of the time, though it’s just Michael going about his life and complaining about the rats because they ate his bananas.
Somehow a beautiful woman comes into the groomer and it’s here we discover that Michael isn’t even very good at his job. As he cuts Cora’s dogs’ nails, they bleed. Cora remarks but doesn’t react and Michael tells her he makes experimental analog movies that no one will watch. Played by Sonja Kinski who to me looks a lot like Liv Tyler, Cora says she would watch them and they organize a date. This one short conversation is looped back into the movie covering it from start to finish in tiny pieces and the dog’s nails bleed every time.
Anal Glands, Yes That’s What I Said
There are unusual montages to immerse the viewer into the world of a dog groomer. There is a lot of washing, massaging, cutting, massaging, and washing. These scenes are often accompanied by the sound of his boss’s voice. Did I mention Michael Reich was a dog groomer? Well, he was. My tipping point for bailing on She’s Allergic to Cats was during the thorough visual kaleidoscope of draining a dog’s anal gland. Let me tell you, that’s something you cannot unsee.
Of course, for a film, I didn’t like it seems there is a lot to talk about within it. I’m positive I did not enjoy it and I was glad when it finished but, similarly to my first viewing of Sharknado, you have to see it to believe it. And there’s more. Michael finds a lost dog sign reporting a missing pug that was stolen by transvestites. While Cora and Michael are on their date, they find it and end up breaking into the owner’s house when they discover he is not at home. More weirdness ensues. Deep psychological weirdness takes place during the pair’s conversations.
But… Is She Allergic to Cats?
They do finally make it back to his house for a bit of well-deserved nookie, however, she, Cora is allergic to cats. And the cat that Michael borrowed to rid his house of the rats causes a reaction that results in an ambulance visit. Shortly after, the film is over. I never did hear more about the movie Carrie made about cats and that is the real travesty here.
The She’s Allergic to Cats film is rated
2.5 I hated it but will probably remember it forever out of 5
She’s Allergic To Cats Film Trailer
For another view of She’s Allergic to Cats, read a review by DJ Spins.
