Film/DVD

P.S. Your Cat Is Dead

PS Your Cat Is DeadA fantasy of countless gay men (with one of the best chests in Hollywood), Steve Guttenberg shows a different, sophisticated side with the DVD/VHS release of his dark comedy P.S. Your Cat Is Dead. The star of such films as Diner, Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, and the Police Academy series, Guttenberg wrote, directed, and stars in this long-awaited film version of the cult smash novel and play by the famed Pulitzer Prize-winning gay writer James Kirkwood, co-writer of A Chorus Line, who died of AIDS in 1989.

P.S. Your Cat Is Dead is the story of two desperate men—one gay, one straight—who meet on a fateful New Year’s Eve. Rex Reed described it as having “one of the most unusual friendships since Joe Buck met Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy.” The play is still being performed in theaters nearly 30 years after its Broadway premiere. Yet it fell into development limbo for decades until Guttenberg chose it for his simultaneous return to the big screen and his directorial and screenwriting debut.

Guttenberg plays Jimmy Zoole, a struggling actor whose life is falling apart: his best friend recently died, his career is on the skids, he’s been repeatedly robbed, his beloved cat is in the hospital, and his girlfriend is leaving him. The last straw comes when he discovers a burglar (Lombardo Boyar, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Bernie Mac Show) hiding under his bed. Pushed to his wit’s end, Jimmy takes the intruder hostage by hog-tying him to his kitchen counter and cutting off his pants, and begins to extort revenge. Undaunted, the wily burglar turns the tables on the distraught Jimmy, and so begins a riveting interplay filled with unexpected twists.

TLA Releasing gave the film a national art house release in early 2003 and now offers it on DVD/VHS. The DVD features commentary by Guttenberg and cast members, behind-the-scenes interviews, alternate endings, and more. Available at www.tlavideo.com and major retailers. More info: www.tlareleasing.com. —Troy Carrington

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