Okay, let’s induct another cinematic classic today. So classic that I was not aware it existed at all before… well, now I can’t even remember where I saw it mentioned. Ultimately that does not matter, as it will remain one of the many great mysteries of the film Cougar Hunting, including how the hell they got all those high-end furs and Lara Flynn Boyle.
Cougar Hunting – The Film
As we gaze upon the cinematic nadir that is early 2000s sex comedy, Cougar Hunting manages to fly below even that low bar. A group of twenty-something losers decides to move to Aspen and find some cougars to support them. In a shocking plot twist everyone could see coming from a mile away, one of them falls for the daughter of one of the cougars he’s pursuing.
Cougar Hunting – The Furs
I have no idea who is responsible for the furs in the film. I checked the full credits for a “furrier,” and there wasn’t one, even in the long list of “thanks.” So let’s kick things off with an intricate sheared mink worn by Ursula (Vaness Angel).
Ursula catches the eye of one of the losers as they arrive in town. This is one of two sequences that rely heavily on the sensual appeal of “Vanessa Angel in fur.”
Losers get jobs in Aspen, and each starts to court a cougar of their very own. Another is Rhonda (Melissa Wyler), a victim of “black fur in a dark room” syndrome. It may be a black fox, but it’s anyone’s guess.
Meet the “Snow Cougars.” I’m not naming them; the credits do that. They appear for some “comedy hijinks” throughout the film and wear fur in many of these appearances. Fun fact, one of the Snow Cougars, Ellen Falguiere, is also credited as a costume designer for the movie.
Cougar daughter Penny (Jillian Murray) catches the attention of one of the idiots, so we can have some third-act drama. She spends some time in an unremarkable parka, save for the fact I just remarked about it.
Vanessa Angel in Fur is Hot, scene two, this time with a much better white fox-trimmed coat. It’s sadly short but pleasant nonetheless.
The most fur in the film is found during a part sequence where the idiots bring their cougar dates. Cougar mom Kathy (Lara Flynn Boyle), spends the entire scene wearing this chinchilla wrap. Again, where did they get these furs?
Linda (Robin Balzak), the last of the cougar triumvirate, arrives with a silver fox fur wrap that sadly is removed early.
After the party is the film’s very long “romantic” section. Please note the liberal use of quotation marks in this update. Anyway, the idiot pursuing Ursala discovers it’s dangerous to get what you wish for when she turns out to be a bit less vanilla than he’s ready for. She wears a fur vest that may be some kind of fox or maybe rabbit; it’s difficult to tell.
Recall we must have some stakes, so Kathy’s divorce proceedings and how her idiot figures into them have to do with third-act escalation. At least Kathy is looking great with her fox-trimmed jacket at the meeting.
Cougar Hunting is not a movie you should watch without the fast-forward button depressed, less you join the button in despair. But, using the handy guide below, you can get to the good stuff, of which there are about six minutes. Six minutes of inexplicably high-quality fur in this low-rent movie. While I do not recommend it, you could play a fun game where you clock all the Aspen background extras wearing incredibly fake fur. Just another facet of the fur fashion enigma that is Cougar Hunting.
- Fur Runtime: approx 6:19 minutes
- Film Runtime: 102 minutes
- On-Screen Ratio: 6.13%
Find-a-Fur: Cougar Hunting, 2011
(all times are approximate and are affected by the cut of the film)
- 16:15 – sheared white mink to maybe mouton/faux
- 18:30 – multi hats and minks
- 20:20 – 22:45 – black fur in low light
- 31:30 – multi collars and hat
- 34:20 – ”
- 36:45 – white fox collar and cuffs
- 41:45 – 45:30 – brief faux lynx/coyote to chinchilla wrap and silver fox wrap
- 48:30 – chinchilla wrap
- 51:10 – a white mink coat
- 52:00 – that black fur in low light again
- 1:14:00 – fox/rabbit? vest
- 1:22:45 – silver/frost? fox trim
Fur Fashion Gallery: Cougar Hunting, 2011
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