Review of Looking for Kitty

Abe (David Krumholtz) is beside himself with agony. As a high school baseball coach in a small city and married to his first true sweetheart, he assumed things were near perfect. Alas, his estranged wife Kitty has run off to New York City to follow a rock star, Ron Stewart. Rumor has it that the two are a couple. Although he feels like a fish out of water, Abe journeys to Manhattan to hire private detective Jack (Edward Burns) to find his lost love. Jack agrees to help Abe, for a price, but warns the jilted hubby that she may not want to see him again. Yet, Abe persists. He can't believe that her new mate is more than a passing fling but if it is, he wants Kitty to tell him face to face what went wrong. As the two of them search (Abe pays Jack extra to tag along on the investigation), Abe's world gets a bit larger as he learns to eat new ethnic foods and appreciate the unusual aspects of the country's largest metropolis. He even runs into another woman (Rachel Dratch), time and again, a lady who may have eyes for this simple coach. Jack, too, comes part way out of a funk he has been in, due to the death of his wife a couple years earlier. But, in the final analysis, will they be able to find Kitty and what will she do? First, Edward Burns is one great independent film maker. He lives and breathes Manhattan and has a rare gift for comedy and human observation. This new movie is not as biting as Sidewalks of New York but has a quieter, gentler nature that is most touching. Burns and Krumholtz, an unlikely couple at first, become a wonderful team of humor and warmth. The rest of the cast, including Dratch and all of the others, are likewise great, even if their names are not well known. Sets, costumes, and photography are worthy, too. If your have been a fan of Burns since The Brothers McMullen, you should rush to find this one as well. Conversely, if you have never seen this stellar writer/director's work, this one is a nice place to begin your journey to admiration for Mr. Burns, indeed.