When the cats are communicating with humans, that’s a fantasy movie, right? Even if the communication is via some sort of glowing drug that said humans have foolishly ingested? Look, I’m not here to litigate the lines between genres, but I will argue that when Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat are communicating with cats in backpacks, it’s a genre film, one way or the other.
The Wrong Girls comes from writer-director Dylan Meyer (Moxie), and whatever kind of movie it is, it has a brilliant cast: along with Stewart and Shawkat, it stars Shawkat’s Arrested Development colleague Tony Hale; perennial genius LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You), the queen Cate Blanchett (Ocean’s 8), Kate McKinnon (Barbie), the legendary Geena Davis, and, as the voices of the cats, Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani. It also appears to feature the members of the band Mannequin Pussy.
It seems important to note that Stanfield’s character is named “Not Metal Head Dave,” and Blanchett is playing “Deep Sea Expert.”
The movie’s synopsis merely says, “Two codependent best friends living paycheck to paycheck and bong rip to bong rip get caught in a case of mistaken identity that throws their lives into chaos.” I haven’t been this enthusiastic about a stoner comedy since Pineapple Express, which sadly did not live up to the promise suggested by its trailer. Here’s hoping The Wrong Girls are more right.
The Wrong Girls is in theaters August 14th.
