The movie musical Cats isn't entirely terrible. True.
The 2019 film adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical was panned by critics, bombed at the box office and sparked a slew of viral hits. But "Cats" does have one bright spot, and that's Taylor Swift.
While some Swifts have erased this from their memories, Swift, who is very picky about sporadic acting roles, did choose to appear in all the films in Cats . It makes sense, since she's the proud mother of three cats—Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson (the third richest pet in the world), and Benjamin Button—and often lets They become part of her project.
"I love my cats so much, and when a character came up in the movie ' Cats ,' I thought, I have to do this," she told Time 2019.
Of course, since Swift is a very busy woman, she only appeared for about five minutes (which still didn't stop her from attending "Cat School" like the rest of the cast). But thanks to this decision, "Cats" has a slight chance of salvation.
The Rise of Bombalurina
The singer plays Bombalurina, the most flighty and confident of the group of cats. Her hit song "Macavity" introduced the movie's villain, also named Macavity, and made him sound elusive and alluring in a way that only the siren-like Bombalurina could.
Sadly, Swift isn't immune to the much-maligned cat CGI. Like the rest of the cast (including Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen), she's portrayed as a strange feline-human hybrid with body parts that cats don't have. But rather than distracting from Swift’s star transformation, it heightens the absurdity of her existence.
The film leaves viewers waiting for her moment, as many other cats precede her on screen. But when Swift ended up on a giant moon, sprinkling catnip to the confused audience below, she sold it, performing "Macavity" like it was her biggest hit.
Swift style touches
The jazzy cabaret number sounds like a rejected song from Chicago , which isn't usually Swift's strong suit, but she embraced her inner musical theater child, among the discarded props like a real cat Jump around, and perform cabaret numbers with aplomb—all atop a giant bar.
Highlights of her performance include her gratuitous "wide awake" growl, and the way she randomly wiggles two seconds later, which only emphasizes how weird these cats' bodies are. She also channeled Madonna in a casual British accent when singing "Not There," and RHOBH star Dorit Kemsley's on-again, off-again accent only made the song even more Delightful.
In the finale, Macavity himself, Idris Elba, arrives to guide her up a giant staircase to the "Heaviside Level." But honestly, he didn't have to. Swift has given "Cats" the sparkle, star power and non-ironic camp factor it desperately needed.
Another way Swift makes cats better
Swift also participated in one of Cats ' only other redemptive aspects, "Beautiful Ghost," a song she co-wrote with musical theater composer Andrew Lloyd Webber for the film's title character. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, marking the film's only major awards season nomination—unless you count the six Razzies it won.
If you needed more proof that Swift was the best thing about Cats , she was one of the few actors not nominated for a Razzie.
If you need to see Swift's magic firsthand, or you just like bad movies like me, Cats will be available to stream on Netflix starting January 16th.
