We didn’t know how good we had it with bad movies in December 2019.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats, both released on December 20 of that year, were collectively dunked on by just about everyone (including cast members). There hasn’t been a collective Mystery Science Theater 3000 experience like it since; a few months later, theaters shut down due to the pandemic and most of the bad movies since, like Artemis Fowl and Space Jam: A New Legacy, have been released straight to streaming. It’s not the same wondering if the dancing cockroaches actually have human faces or if you’re tripping balls (it’s the former, unless it’s both) from the comfort of your couch, but Jennifer Hudson, who played Grizabella the Glamour Cat in Tom Hooper’s misbegotten musical, thinks we were too hard on Cats.
“You know what? I think it was a bit overwhelming. It’s unfortunate that it was misunderstood,” the Respect actress told Total Film about the reaction to Cats. “I think later down the line, people will see it differently. But it is something I am still very proud of and grateful to have been a part of. Yeah, I got to be Grizabella the Glamour Cat!”
I respect her bright-side-of-life optimism and Hudson had one of the few genuinely good scenes in the musical with her performance of “Memories.” Counterpoint:
Maybe she means future generations “will see it differently” because they’ll get to see the butthole cut. That’s probably it.
(Via Total Film)
