In the five or so years since Aubrey Plaza first became a household name to TV (and Mystery Team) viewers, she has turned “looking surly” into an acting lifestyle. Most prevalently displayed in her role of the meh-infused April Ludgate on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Plaza’s talents for acting as if she doesn’t give a shit have been peppered into her other projects as well. But now her true test will come, as she has signed on to voice the ubiquitous Grumpy Cat for the Lifetime Original Movie Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. Feel free to give this story your best Grumpy Cat impersonation.
In the movie, Grumpy Cat isn’t a mega-popular meme, but rather a friendless cat living in a mall pet shop. She wasn’t always so grumpy, but people’s insistence on never purchasing her causes her to become harsh. But when the holidays hit, a 12-year-old girl named Chrystal comes around (Mama’s Megan Charpentier), who just so happens to be the only person in the world who can hear Grumpy Cat talk. (Enter Plaza's monotone.) The duo get involved with an exotic dog’s kidnapping, and Chrystal inevitably gets herself trapped in the mall after closing hours. As the press release puts it, the main questions driving this pic are “Will Grumpy learn the true meaning of Christmas? Or will it be, in her words, the ‘Worst Christmas Ever?’” Hopefully Plaza finds her inner Comic Book Guy for this.
The film is directed by Jeff Morris, who wrote the screenplay with Garfield 2 director Tim Hill. Plaza joins a cast that already includes Daniel Roebuck, Veronica Allcino, Isaac Haig, Evan Todd, and Shauna Johannesen, with comedian Russell Peters playing the mall Santa Claus. Just in case you think there’s a stunt cat filling in for Grumpy Cat, the following IMDb notice will change your mind.
I’m still having trouble believing this movie exists, but I’m forever thankful that it isn’t the big screen venture that was announced last year. And given Lifetime’s recent string of campy bio-dramas, I’m kind of interested to see just how craptastic this can be. Check out some of the film’s stars performing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge while Grumpy Cat just stares at them in the distance.
Grab your favorite brand of catnip and tune in to Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever when it premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, November 29.
