ok guys i saw Cats (2019) and iβm furious i need to rant
a lot of people say that the movie is crack and hilarious but thereβs a point that is honestly just bs
when Rum Tum Tuger (the so calledΒ βcuriousβ cat) sings his song in the musical thereβs this iconic moment of Mr. Mistoffelees saying βheβs boringβ and heβs sassy while doing so, rolling his eyes, RTT doesnβt even answer back or deny it and heβs literally the only one whoβs not impressed by Tugger
he also seems to be the only (i could be wrong since the view is pretty limited) tomcat to meow along (or at least mimic) the kittens instead of ignoring or imitating Tuggerβs hip shaking like the other tomcats
however, Victoria in the 2019 movie is horny af for Tugger (as long as he sings, afterwards itβs not really a thing anymore). Mistoffelees in the same scene in Tuggerβs song, all afraid and jealous, saysΒ βBut heβs so bland!β in an insecure way and itβs so completely different from musical Mistoffelees who knows about his strengths
they changed him from sassy, aloof and skillful to some very clumsy nice guyβ’ who wants to get laid with Victoria. the movie repeatingly shoves their hetero romantic interestβ’ down the throat of every viewer (cats arenβt even monogamous aldgjskjg). heβs glued to her side and itβs just embarrassing how forced this is. they didnβt even mate in the musical cat orgy.
when, in one of the BEST moments of the musical, someone has to bring back Old Deuteronomy and guess who suggests Mr. Mistoffelees
Tugger, OF COURSE. you know who suggests Mr. Mistoffelees in the movie?
Victoria. because she is obviously his love interest and somehow the only cat who trusts and believes in him while being a kitten he met just a few hours ago
then Rum Tum Tugger sings a whole song about how magical, magnificent and awesome Mr. Mistoffelees is. he praises him and you really hear how impressed and in awe he is about him (Tugger knows him pretty well too)
Tugger is the one Mr. Mistoffelees looks at before he brings Old Deuteronomy back
Tugger does nothing of that in the 2019 movie, for whatever reason Munkustrap begins to sing about the magical cat and then Mr. Mistoffelees sings most of his own song alone (and fails for several times with his magic). Victoria then cheers him up another time and he succeeds. the story goes on, thereβs another uncomfortable nearly-kiss moment and the movie finally ends
so let me summarize: they cancelled the whole appearance of a male main character in one, if not the most, important songs and exchanged him in some of the key moments with the female love interest. somehow, Tugger and Mr. Mistoffelees have barely to none interaction in the movie and Mistoffelees line in Tuggerβs song was changed to have a different mood.Β
why would they make such changes? seems a lot like the directors of Cats (2019) saw what most fans of the CATS musical saw and thoughtΒ βno, we canβt have tomcats who could be interpreted as gay in there. they canβt even be friends. letβs make one of them straighter than a lineβ which fits just right with the fatphobic jokes
thanks for coming to my ted talk