Canine Movie Medicine

Saw the movie Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, the other night.  I’m still reliving bits and pieces, partly because it was my first 3D movie experience (I am now addicted!), partly because it was so good to belly laugh, but mostly because there were several underlying life messages.  If you haven’t seen the movie yet, but are hesitating because you think it’s for kids, trust me, there are lots of references that only adults will get!

James Bond fans:  Watch for innuendos and listen closely to the voice of Tab Lazenby, head of the elite cat spy organization MEOWS.

I’ll concede that my current emotional state may be partially responsible for my movie takeaways; plus it is possible that I’m looking too deeply into what is, according to The Hollywood Reporter,  ”a critter movie gone mad.”   What can I say?  Yes, I lean toward over-analyzation.

In addition to the requisite theme of Good vs. Evil, I’m a sucker for any character, animated or human, that overcomes the adversity of life situations.  In the movie’s story, a German Shephard named Diggs (I promise not to give too much away!) spends a good deal of his life caged, often as a result of his own conduct.  He tends toward hot shot-ism but each time he returns to the kennel, he fronts his feelings with an attitude of “I’ve been here before.  I can handle this.  No one can hurt me.”

That attitude is so familiar to me.  I grew up thinking I could only truly rely on myself and that if I acted tough, no one could see that all I really wanted was for you to like me.  So I intentionally placed myself in situations where I had the potential to be a hero but more often suffered the consequences of foolish decisions.

Trusting anyone else came hard to me and as a result, I often found myself “caged.”  My spirit took a lot of repeated knocks, until, like Diggs, I learned a vital life truth.

A self-imposed cage can be a fortress again pain but it can also lock out those who can help.

In the movie, Diggs learned his lessons the hard way.  In real life, so did I.  However, thanks to folks who refused to let me remain imprisoned and massaged my heart back to life, I eventually realized the lock on the cell door was on the inside.

And Diggs?  I promised not to give the story away so you’ll have to see the movie.  Let me know what you think. 

Stay tuned for my feline comments.

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