You know, there are some times when I begin to wonder what the media world is coming to and how any of us will survive it. When I write headlines like “Aubrey Plaza Is Grumpy Cat,” I am struck by a sense of ineffable existential terror at the current state of the media. But it is true: the Parks and Recreation actress has signed on to play the voice of Grumpy Cat in Lifetime’s Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.
The film will tell the heart-wrenching tale of a oft-overlooked cat in a pet store and the twelve-year-old girl who can communicate with her. It is based on the famous meme of a grouchy-looking feline who became an Internet sensation. I am not certain, but I think this might be the first time that a meme has been turned into a movie.
While this seems to make yet another nadir of our contemporary media, perhaps there is a tiny ray of hope in this casting news. Plaza is an entertaining star on the small screen, having made her mark via Parks and Recreation, The Legend of Korra and Welcome to Sweden. Her bigger screen roles have only built on her snarky – shall we say: grumpy? – persona, in films like Safety Not Guaranteed and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. One would hope that she would not make a bad choice now, so perhaps Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever is not quite as bad as it sounds. Plaza is actually replacing Jane Lynch, who was signed on to play the voice of Grumpy Cat but dropped out following her Emmy win for Hollywood Game Night.
You will be able to hear (but not see) Aubrey Plaza in her career-defining role at the end of November, when Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever premieres on Lifetime.
