You remember that movie where Kevin Spacey turns into a cat? Honestly, it feels like a fever dream now. Released in 2016, Nine Lives is one of those cinematic anomalies that leaves you staring at the screen, blinking, wondering how on earth they got these specific people in the same room. We’re talking about an Oscar-heavy lineup doing a slapstick comedy about a billionaire trapped in a Maine Coon. It's bizarre.
When you look at the cast of movie Nine Lives, you see names like Christopher Walken and Jennifer Garner. These aren't C-list actors looking for a quick paycheck. They are industry titans. Yet, here they are, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld—the guy who gave us Men in Black and The Addams Family. It’s a strange mix of high-level talent and a premise that feels like it belonged in a 1990s Disney Channel original movie.
The movie follows Tom Brand, a workaholic tycoon who neglects his family to build the tallest skyscraper in the Northern Hemisphere. A mystical pet shop owner named Felix Perkins (played by Walken, obviously) decides to teach him a lesson by shoving his soul into a cat named Mr. Fuzzypants. It’s exactly as ridiculous as it sounds. But the cast is what makes it a fascinating case study in Hollywood casting choices.
Kevin Spacey as Tom Brand (and the Voice of Mr. Fuzzypants)
Before his career was derailed by legal battles and controversy, Kevin Spacey was the go-to guy for "arrogant powerful man." In Nine Lives, he leans hard into that trope. He plays Tom Brand as a sort of Diet Tony Stark, minus the charm. For most of the film, Spacey is only present via a voice-over, which creates a weird disconnect. You’re watching a CGI cat (and several real-life Maine Coons) do pratfalls while Frank Underwood’s voice grumbles in the background.
It’s a tough sell. Voice acting for animation is one thing, but voicing a live-action animal requires a specific kind of timing that often felt "off" here. Interestingly, the physical cat performers—the real stars of the cast of movie Nine Lives—were arguably more expressive than the script allowed Spacey to be. The feline actors included a team of Maine Coons that had to be groomed constantly to maintain the "luxury pet" look.
Spacey’s presence in the film is a time capsule of a specific moment in Hollywood. At the time, he was still the face of House of Cards. Seeing him transition from a ruthless politician to a cat trying to drink expensive scotch out of a bowl was... jarring. It’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder about the pitch meeting. Did they tell him it was a "modern-day fable"? Or did he just want to work with Sonnenfeld?
Jennifer Garner: The Emotional Glue
Jennifer Garner plays Lara Brand, Tom’s second wife. Honestly, Garner is the MVP here because she manages to stay grounded while her on-screen husband is a CGI feline. She’s done this before, of course. Garner has a specific talent for playing the "patient wife" or "grounded mother" in high-concept comedies—think 13 Going on 30 or Yes Day.
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In the context of the cast of movie Nine Lives, Garner provides the only real emotional stakes. While Tom/Mr. Fuzzypants is busy getting drunk on 50-year-old single malt or urinating in a designer handbag, Garner has to play the genuine hurt of a woman whose husband is missing (or in a coma, as the world believes).
The Dynamic of the Brand Family
- Malina Weissman plays Rebecca Brand, the daughter. She’s the one who actually wants the cat. Weissman later went on to star in A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, showing she has a knack for working in stylized, slightly weird projects.
- Robbie Amell is David Brand, Tom’s adult son from his first marriage. Amell spends most of the movie trying to save the family business from a hostile takeover. He’s the "straight man" in a world of talking cats.
Amell’s subplot feels like it belongs in a different movie entirely—a corporate thriller about skyscraper heights and boardroom betrayals. It clashes wildly with the scenes of a cat jumping off a penthouse balcony using a parachute. That tonal whiplash is exactly why people still talk about this movie today. It’s a mess, but it’s a star-studded mess.
Christopher Walken: The Only Man Who Knew What Movie He Was In
If you need a mystical, slightly threatening, yet somehow whimsical pet store owner, you call Christopher Walken. As Felix Perkins, Walken is the soul of the film. He doesn't try to make the movie "serious." He leans into the absurdity. Walken has a history of taking roles that others might find beneath them and treating them with a weird, singular dignity.
He’s the one who facilitates the "soul transfer." His performance is classic Walken—the pauses in the wrong places, the intense eye contact, the feeling that he might burst into a dance number at any second. Without him, the cast of movie Nine Lives would feel incomplete. He acts as the bridge between the audience and the ridiculousness of the plot.
He’s essentially playing a magical cat-whisperer. Is he a god? A wizard? The movie never really explains his powers, and honestly, it doesn't need to. Walken is his own genre. His presence gives the film a "fairy tale" vibe that keeps it from being just another generic talking animal flick.
Cheryl Hines and the Supporting Players
Cheryl Hines plays Madison Camden, Tom’s first wife. If you know Hines from Curb Your Enthusiasm, you know she’s a master of the "exasperated woman." Here, she plays a more comedic, slightly bitter version of that. Her scenes with Garner are actually some of the most "human" moments in the film, despite the fact that they usually involve them reacting to a cat doing something gross.
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Then there's Mark Consuelos. He plays Ian Cox, the "villain" of the corporate subplot. Consuelos is great at playing characters you love to hate. In Nine Lives, he's the guy trying to steal the company while Tom is trapped in a litter box. It’s a thankless role, but he commits to it.
The casting of Mark Consuelos and Robbie Amell suggests the producers were looking for "TV-friendly" faces to round out the big-screen legends. It’s a smart move for a family film. It ensures that even if the kids are bored by the business talk, there are recognizable faces for the parents.
Why the Critics Hated It (and Why Some People Love It)
Look, Nine Lives was not a critical darling. It sits at a dismal 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics called it "purr-gatory" and "a catastrophe." The main complaint? The CGI was wonky, and the tone was all over the place. Is it a movie for kids? Probably. But the corporate subplots and jokes about suicide (yes, there's a "cat suicide" joke) feel way too dark for a PG rating.
But here’s the thing: kids don't care about Rotten Tomatoes. For a certain demographic, Nine Lives is a staple of "rainy day" cinema. The cast of movie Nine Lives is so overqualified that they elevate the material just by being there. There’s a weird joy in watching Jennifer Garner try to have a heartfelt conversation with a cat that is clearly a puppet in some shots and a computer-generated blob in others.
The film also deals with some heavy themes—neglect, the cost of ambition, and family reconciliation. It just happens to do it through the lens of a cat being thrown into a bathtub.
Production Secrets: It Wasn't All CGI
While the movie uses a lot of digital effects, they actually used real Maine Coons for many of the scenes. Maine Coons are known for being large, social, and "dog-like," which made them the perfect choice for a cat that is supposed to be a human man.
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- Jean was the primary cat actor.
- Squeak was the stunt cat.
- The production had to use "cat doubles" because cats, unlike Kevin Spacey, don't take direction well for 12 hours a day.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld is actually famously allergic to cats. He had to direct much of the film while being heavily medicated or standing far away from the "stars." This might explain why so many of the cat scenes feel like they were filmed with a sense of frantic energy—the director literally couldn't breathe.
Insights for Your Next Family Movie Night
If you're planning to watch this because of the cast of movie Nine Lives, go in with the right expectations. This isn't American Beauty or The West Wing. It's a silly, occasionally dark, mostly bizarre family comedy that relies entirely on the charisma of its human actors to survive its premise.
What to look for:
- The Walken Factor: Pay attention to how Walken treats the cats. He’s genuinely gentle with them, which adds a layer of weird sweetness to his character.
- The Wardrobe: Jennifer Garner’s outfits are impeccably "NYC Billionaire Wife." The costume design is actually much better than a movie about a talking cat needs to be.
- The Ending: No spoilers, but the way the movie resolves the "cat versus human" conflict is surprisingly sentimental for a film that features a cat falling off a skyscraper.
Practical Next Steps:
If you're a fan of this cast, your next move should be exploring their better-received works. Check out Jennifer Garner in Alias if you want to see her actually kick some butt, or revisit Christopher Walken in Seven Psychopaths for a different flavor of his "mysterious guy" persona. If you’re just here for the cats, the 2019 Cats movie is the only thing that might top this for sheer "what was everyone thinking?" energy, but proceed with caution—that's a whole different level of weird.
For those interested in the business side of Hollywood, Nine Lives is a great example of "contractual obligation" or "passion project" casting. Sometimes actors do a movie because their kids want them to. Sometimes they do it because they want to work with a specific director. Whatever the reason, the cast of movie Nine Lives remains one of the most bafflingly talented ensembles in the history of family comedies.