This was a cute idea for a documentary with the intent of (apparently) dispelling stereotypes about masculinity. Unfortunately it collapses under its own weight, often times reinforcing these stereotypes instead of correcting them.
The strange narrative of "I've never had a pet cat because I'm a dude" seems pretty ridiculous. The guys claim they've never been around cats and I think one says he'd never even seen one as a child. Did they all grow up on a deserted island??
Most people grow up with a cat, or have a friend who has a cat, or a relative, etc. Unless you have an allergy to cats, I don't understand how you can go your entire childhood without any interaction with a cat of some kind. The director presents cats as some rare and foreign species. It makes it difficult to take any of these stories seriously.
There are a few exceptions. I enjoyed the man who started a catch, spay/neuter, and release program in Brooklyn. That was awesome and even educational. The homeless man pulled at your heart strings. And I enjoyed the backstories of some of the social media famous cats.
But for every good moment, there is a counterbalance of truly cringy scenes. Multiple men joke about using their cats to score dates with women. It just reinforces this shallow stereotype of one-dimensional men who'll do anything to hook up.
How about featuring some truly authentic men who've loved cats their entire life with no ulterior motive? I know plenty of men at work who love cats without any qualms about masculinity. Again, this documentary claims to squash that stereotype, but only seems to reinforce it.
And it's interesting that gay men are completely erased from the narrative. A lot of gay men are cat lovers, so it would have been great to hear some stories from someone who's gay. Instead we see a lot of typical "bro" types who want a pat on the back for having a cat.
Ah, well. The cats themselves are adorable. I enjoyed seeing them and learning more about them.
The strange narrative of "I've never had a pet cat because I'm a dude" seems pretty ridiculous. The guys claim they've never been around cats and I think one says he'd never even seen one as a child. Did they all grow up on a deserted island??
Most people grow up with a cat, or have a friend who has a cat, or a relative, etc. Unless you have an allergy to cats, I don't understand how you can go your entire childhood without any interaction with a cat of some kind. The director presents cats as some rare and foreign species. It makes it difficult to take any of these stories seriously.
There are a few exceptions. I enjoyed the man who started a catch, spay/neuter, and release program in Brooklyn. That was awesome and even educational. The homeless man pulled at your heart strings. And I enjoyed the backstories of some of the social media famous cats.
But for every good moment, there is a counterbalance of truly cringy scenes. Multiple men joke about using their cats to score dates with women. It just reinforces this shallow stereotype of one-dimensional men who'll do anything to hook up.
How about featuring some truly authentic men who've loved cats their entire life with no ulterior motive? I know plenty of men at work who love cats without any qualms about masculinity. Again, this documentary claims to squash that stereotype, but only seems to reinforce it.
And it's interesting that gay men are completely erased from the narrative. A lot of gay men are cat lovers, so it would have been great to hear some stories from someone who's gay. Instead we see a lot of typical "bro" types who want a pat on the back for having a cat.
Ah, well. The cats themselves are adorable. I enjoyed seeing them and learning more about them.