- Actors: Sandra Oh, Anne Heche, Alicia Silverstone
- Director: Onur Tukel
- Format: Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Dark Sky Films
- Release Date: April 25, 2017
- Run Time: 95 minutes
Catfight is a film determined to follow
through on the promise of the title, though somehow manages to complicate a
simple premise with the uneven elements of social satire in the world beyond
the main characters engaged in battle. At the center of the story may be a
conflict between two former college friends that repeatedly results in
violence, but filmmaker Onur Tukel is never satisfied with focusing on these
characters between the fistfights. Instead, much of the movie becomes preoccupied
with the world they live in, including too many unnecessary characters and odd
elements which often make it unclear whether this is a satire of modern times
or a prediction of where we will be in the near future.
Despite the
dedication of the cast, there are no likable characters to be found in Tukel’s
black comedy about petty women. In the first section of the film, Veronica
(Sandra Oh) is the wife of a wealthy businessman who smothers her teenage son
while embarrassing her husband with excessive wine drinking. Even though
Veronica is not entirely satisfied with her life, she engages in petty bragging
after running into Ashley (Anne Heche), a former college friend working as a
caterer at a party she is attending. Ashley is an artist struggling to make
ends meet with her girlfriend (Alicia Silverstone), and is pushed to her
boiling point after enduring Veronica’s passive aggressive comments.
Without spoiling
the twists the narrative has the offer (although they repeat, so that the
formula becomes predictable about halfway through the film), each physical
altercation between the women very conveniently uproots their lives. Each time
they have a fight with each other, the film jumps forward in time a couple of
years, so as to show us the dramatic reversals in fortune. In a typical
narrative, the humbling experience of loss might alter the character of these
two women, but Tukel keeps them fairly unsympathetic from beginning to end.
Even in success, Ashley is as unbearable as she was when she was a bitter
starving artist, and Veronica refuses to take responsibility for her own
actions, even when humbled by the loss of her indulgent lifestyle. Neither of
these women is particularly likeable, so it becomes impossible to root for one
or the other when they start swinging.
This film may
pass the Bechdel test, but it does very little for the advancement of female
characters in film. Heche and Oh give dedicated performances, though they are
never allowed to develop the characters beyond the petty selfish behavior that
defines them. And Tukel’s insistence on making the rest of the world they live
in appear just as pathetic through depictions of sophomoric jokes and scathing
political commentary leaves the audience nothing to admire. It comes as a relief
when these women finally begin throwing punches, because nearly all human
behavior in the film is unbearable enough to inspire a desire for violence.
Even with a few
name actors and a cast of recognizable supporting talent, Catfight is clearly low budget filmmaking. The visuals are not all
terrible, but the inconsistencies can clearly be seen from scene to scene,
especially on Blu-ray high definition. Even worse is the cartoonish sound
design for the fight sequences, which makes each punch unrealistic despite the
realistic approach to the performances by each actor.
The special
features on the Blu-ray include two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and a
featurette about the fight choreography in the film. The first commentary just
has writer/editor/director Tukel, while the second includes both leading
ladies. There is also a slideshow of the art featured in the film included in
the extras, along with a trailer for the film.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 6.5/10
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