The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Nine Lives
Fantasy · Comedy · Family · 2016
A stuffy businessman finds himself trapped inside the body of his family's cat.
Movie details
Nine Lives
“His life just got put on paws.”
2016 Fantasy · Comedy · Family 1h 27m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.8 / 10
Community rating
A stuffy businessman finds himself trapped inside the body of his family's cat.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Nine Lives?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Bogus
Fantasy · 1996
Recently orphaned, a young boy is taken in by his godmother who is shocked to realize that she can see the boy's imaginary friend: a flamboyant, French magician named Bogus.
Imagine That
Family · 2009
A financial executive who can't stop his career downspiral is invited into his daughter's imaginary world, where solutions to his problems await.
Freaky Friday
Fantasy · 1976
School girl Annabel is hassled by her mother, and Mrs. Andrews is annoyed with her daughter, Annabel. They both think that the other has an easy life. On a normal Friday morning, both complain about each other and wish they could have the easy life of their daughter/mother for just one day and their wishes come true as a bit of magic puts Annabel in Mrs. Andrews' body and vice versa. They both have a Freaky Friday.
The Cat from Outer Space
Comedy · 1978
A UFO is stranded on earth and impounded by the US government. Its pilot, a cat with a collar that gives it special powers, including the ability to communicate with humans, has eluded the authorities and seeks the help of a scientist in order to reclaim and repair his ship and get back home.
The Shaggy Dog
Comedy · 1959
Through an ancient spell, a boy changes into a sheepdog and back again. It seems to happen at inopportune times and the spell can only be broken by an act of bravery....
Stuart Little
Family · 1999
When the Littles adopt Stuart, the mouse, George is initially unwelcoming to his new brother, and the family cat, Snowbell, is even less enthusiastic. Stuart resolves to face these difficulties with as much pluck and courage as he can muster.
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
Animation · 1992
The popular cartoon cat and mouse are thrown into a feature film. The story has the twosome trying to help an orphan girl who is being berated and exploited by a greedy guardian.
A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting
Family · 2020
Recruited by a secret society of babysitters, a high schooler battles the Boogeyman and his monsters when they nab the boy she's watching on Halloween.
The Legend of Ochi
Family · 2025
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Freakier Friday
Comedy · 2025
Years after Tess and Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover lightning might indeed strike twice.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Barry Sonnenfeld
Written by
Daniel Antoniazzi · Ben Shiffrin · Matt Allen · Gwyn Lurie
Kevin Spacey
Tom Brand
Jennifer Garner
Lara Brand
Robbie Amell
David Brand
Cheryl Hines
Madison Camden
Mark Consuelos
Ian Cox
Malina Weissman
Rebecca Brand
Christopher Walken
Felix Perkins
Court is in session
Put Nine Lives on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Big-Idea Head
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.