Looking for Kitty [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

If the slice-of-life, small independent film makes a comeback, it will owe a lot to Ed Burns and his great pictures. Looking for Kitty had a brief theatrical run, but hopefully will find its audience on DVD. It's a fantastic gem that's injected with a more thoughtful, even melancholy beat, juxtaposed with sincere humor and a great eye for the camera. Burns also knows how to properly use music in film to capture the emotional heart of it. All of these are trademarks of Burns' films and this one is no exception.

Burns loves New York and that much is readily clear in Looking for Kitty, a reflection of two lost and lonely men that if not quite an "odd couple" are different and idiosyncratic enough to create a nice contrast set against the big city. Burns plays Jack Stanton, a small-time detective hired by Abe, a Peekskill softball coach whose wife has run out on him. Jack is a misanthrope who doesn't eat in restaurants and as we discover, is still profoundly affected by the death of his wife. Abe is slightly goofy, but kind-hearted, avoiding coffee and "international foods" of all kinds (except Italian.) The picture is rounded out by a supporting cast of characters that underscore themes of loneliness and isolation. Without every going too dark or depressing, Looking for Kitty is bittersweet and ultimately hopeful, and a film worth returning to time and again.

As with all of Burns' own pictures, the commentary track is great, insightful and lively, and demonstrates why his films are as good as they are -- he's interesting and he's full of interesting ideas. Can't say I agree with all of them, however. Both in the film and on the commentary track he knocks Star Wars, its adult fans and the films' importance in cinema history, and while I concur that neither the works of Fellini nor Truffaut deserved to be lessened in value, it's really only natural that later films would come along to supplant them to some degree -- and Star Wars is probably one of the most worthy candidates to do that. It's just a generational thing. In another 25 years, it will be something else. Lucas also works outside the Hollywood system that Burns understandably detests, and Star Wars was the catalyst for a lot of positive and important changes in moviemaking. That it also triggered Hollywood's greed for bigger and more successful blockbusters isn't the films' fault (nor was it a new idea to Hollywood circa 1977.) But it did capture the imagination of a generation and it did usher in a new era of modern myth in film and literature. Looking for Kitty is ultimately about learning to let go, but one thing that adults should never let go of is the love of good stories. And there are many different kinds of stories, from the personal and heartfelt such as this film, to the larger-than-life epics like Star Wars, and each has its value and place.

I liked this movie enough to then listen to the commentary section, and I am very glad I did. I think Burns did a great job narrating the commentary and made it something that every budding movie-maker, and those interested in movie-making, must hear. He talks about the details of putting together a very low budget film, shot digitally and without permits, not much lighting, utilizing friends, asking for favors, etc. I enjoyed this aspect of the movie more than the movie itself, which is still quite good.

Ed Burns' LOOKING FOR KITTY, which was shot before his THE GROOMSEN, was actually released after, briefly, to the theatres this year. If you only have the money or inclination to check out one new Ed Burns film, I'd go for THE GROOMSMEN, which was a real audience pleaser (I saw it twice and both times the audience really responded) and deserved more attention than it received. KITTY is minor, but shouldn't be completely overlooked, either.

Burns may never make a masterpiece, but I find his films since NO LOOKING BACK honest explorations of working-class people in New York, who aren't always treated any more three-dimensionally in film than any other groups (I actually find his two most successful films, McMULLEN and SHE'S THE ONE, his weakest!). He attracts good casts and gets good performances out of them.

KITTYis a bit more of a "chamber piece" than the ensemble-based GROOMSMEN; shot on digital video, focusing largely on two guys, and running roughly 80 minutes, KITTY is a quiet character study, and not wholly succesful at that -- Burns as an actor, writer and director generally "underplays" -- there are many times in his two recent films that you feel he's on the verge of something really special, but never quite gets over the edge. But if you like New York cinema, Ed Burns, David Krumholz, or dramatic comedy charactery-type films, you certainly could give this a view, and won't regret it.