GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Wide Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

67 $9.99
75 24 City
66 Adoration
74 Afghan Star
48 Alien Trespass
56 American Violet
82 Anvil! The Story of Anvil
57 Away We Go
81 Beaches of Agnes, The
62 Big Man Japan
28 Big Shot-Caller, The
78 Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, The
55 Brothers Bloom, The
82 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
xx Call of the Wild
63 Cheri
62 Cherry Blossoms
63 Dead Snow
65 Departures
18 Downloading Nancy
58 Easy Virtue
70 End of the Line, The
77 Every Little Step
64 Examined Life
80 Food, Inc.
38 Gigantic
56 Girl from Monaco, The
67 Girlfriend Experience, The
87 Gomorrah
89 Goodbye Solo
63 Great Buck Howard, The
79 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
xx Home
82 Hunger
91 Hurt Locker, The
16 I Hate Valentine's Day
81 Il Divo
54 Is Anybody There?
71 Jerichow
58 Julia
74 Lemon Tree
36 Life is Hot in Cracktown
40 Limits of Control, The
42 Little Ashes
64 Lymelife
50 Management
57 Merry Gentleman, The
66 Moon
35 New York
62 Not Forgotten
xx Offshore
78 O'Horten
64 Outrage
40 Paris 36
54 Pontypool
71 Pressure Cooker
52 Quiet Chaos
83 Revanche
67 Rudo y Cursi
86 Seraphine
65 Sex Positive
70 Shall We Kiss?
77 Sin Nombre
59 Sleep Dealer
74 Song of Sparrows, The
54 Stoning of Soraya M., The
82 Sugar
84 Summer Hours
61 Sunshine Cleaning
28 Surveillance
42 Tennessee
63 Tetro
64 Throw Down Your Heart
80 Tokyo Sonata
63 Tokyo!
70 Tony Manero
74 Treeless Mountain
88 Tulpan
74 Two Lovers
83 Tyson
83 U2 3D
60 Under Our Skin
69 Unmistaken Child
69 Valentino: The Last Emperor
22 What Goes Up
45 Whatever Works
57 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Cat's Meow, The
Lions Gate Films Inc.

Cat's Meow, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 63 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.3 out of 10
based on 34 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for sexuality, a scene of violence and brief drug use

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard, Joanna Lumley, Victor Slezak, Jennifer Tilly, and James Laurenson

An extraordinary look at a fateful excursion of "fun and frolic" aboard William Randolph Hearst's private yacht in November of 1924 that brought together some of the century's best known personalities and resulted in a still-unsolved, hushed-up killing. (Lions Gate Films)


GENRE(S): Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Steven Peros (also play)  
DIRECTED BY: Peter Bogdanovich  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: August 20, 2002 
Video: August 20, 2002 
Theatrical: April 12, 2002 
RUNNING TIME: 112 minutes, B/W / Color 
ORIGIN: Canada / Germany / UK 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Elegant, funny and unexpectedly touching, this whodunit about a murder aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst represents a bracing comeback for Peter Bogdanovich.
Read Full Review
90
Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
An elegant drama about power and its frightening uses, The Cat's Meow is the bee's knees.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Peter Bogdanovich taps deep into the Hearst mystique, entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal.
Read Full Review
80
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Relatively accurate as a period piece, looks great and boasts a bevy of vintage numbers, some original recordings and others performed in an authentic manner by Ian Whitcomb and His Bungalow Boys.
Read Full Review
80
New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo
It's vastly enjoyable in a low-down, scandal-mongering way.
Read Full Review
80
Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
If it speaks with a quieter voice than many of Bogdanovich's early pictures, what it has to say seems substantially more personal and thoughtful.
Read Full Review
80
Variety Derek Elley
Playful and sporty, with just a small twist of the knife, The Cat's Meow is good, uncomplicated fun.
Read Full Review
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
The fact is no one has a better understanding of the corruption of ego and power, or is more qualified to encapsulate it in a defining moment of Hollywood Gothic.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Jay Carr
Could have been -- and should have been -- richer and more resonant. It's Hollywood Babylon Lite, only TV movie-deep. But at least it's tangy.
Read Full Review
75
ReelViews James Berardinelli
Isn't quite good enough to elicit a purr, but it represents better-than-average movie-making that doesn't demand a dumb, distracted audience.
Read Full Review
75
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Bogdanovich takes a tale of old Hollywood and infuses it with velocity and enthusiasm.
Read Full Review
75
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Bogdanovich adds touches to appeal to serious film fans.
Read Full Review
75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The film is darkly atmospheric, with Herrmann quietly suggesting the sadness and obsession beneath Hearst's forced avuncular chortles. Dunst is as good, in her way, as Dorothy Comingore in "Citizen Kane" in showing a woman who is more loyal and affectionate than her lover deserves.
Read Full Review
70
Salon.com Charles Taylor
If there were any justice in the world, The Cat's Meow would be the beginning of the rehabilitation of Davies' image.
Read Full Review
70
Village Voice J. Hoberman
A better-than-competent period evocation that allows the director to flaunt his knowledge (and perhaps vent some of his own bitterness) regarding Hollywood.
Read Full Review
70
The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Faithfully recreates a bygone era of larger-than-life filmmakers and stars.
Read Full Review
70
Slate David Edelstein
Bogdanovich has been so smooth and loving in his directorial attentions that he has forgotten to give the tragical farce proceedings any terrible momentum.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times Dana Stevens
A modest, restrained picture, as small and satisfying as one of Woody Allen's better recent efforts.
Read Full Review
63
New York Post Jonathan Foreman
But even if The Cat's Meow is unsubtle and overlong, in its jaundiced way it convincingly captures a fascinating period in Hollywood history.
Read Full Review
63
Chicago Tribune Mark Caro
The movie leaves us with the image of rich folks frantically dancing the Charleston because if they stop, they'll have nothing. The point is as untrue as it is simplistic.
Read Full Review
63
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
The film is better on mood than on message, sharply etching the professional desperation behind the forced gaiety.
Read Full Review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
The result is good gossip, entertainingly delivered, yet with a distinctly musty odour, its expiry date long gone.
Read Full Review
63
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
For all its charms, sometimes feels as self-obsessed as the characters it slyly mocks.
Read Full Review
60
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Overall, the film feels a little stiff, perhaps because screenwriter Steven Peros adapted his own stage play. But the performances are a delight, especially Dunst's effervescent turn as Marion Davies.
Read Full Review
60
Film Threat Merle Bertrand
While certainly an entertaining and intriguing film, one simply can't get past the notion that we're watching semi-famous actors pretending to be their more famous characters.
Read Full Review
58
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
Swell when it purrs, when the three top stars are in full form, but it spits and hisses and screeches too often to take full hold.
Read Full Review
50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
Dunst makes Davies the most confident and interesting person aboard the Oneida and makes this voyage almost, but not quite, worth taking.
50
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
This movie's biggest contribution to film history will be resurrecting Davies' reputation as a natural comedian stuck in deadly costume pictures because her lover wanted her placed on a pedestal.
Read Full Review
50
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
As a period mystery, however, it's as muddy and swirling as the actual record of that fateful, deadly weekend cruise.
Read Full Review
50
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Resembles the yacht where it takes place. Everything is arranged for fun, pleasure, and amusement. But the vehicle itself is heavy and cumbersome, and it takes a tad too long to get us where we're going.
Read Full Review
40
Empire Miles Fiedler
Curiously uninvolving. It never comes to life -- even after someone is found dead. Nevertheless, there are pleasures to be found in the performances, particularly in Eddie Izzard's lovelorn Chaplin and Edward Herrmann's paranoid Hearst.
Read Full Review
40
LA Weekly Manohla Dargis
An inert, respectable bore.
Read Full Review
40
Time Richard Schickel
The result is tiresome and tone-deaf and a disappointing comeback for Bogdanovich.
Read Full Review
30
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The script is dead in the water, and most of the misanthropic repartee rings resoundingly false.

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Zoe S gave it a9:
I loved it. sure it was a little long, but that makes it all the easier to immerse yourself in the film. I found it very entertaining, with some beautiful and honest points on romantic relationships. As for all those so harshly criticising the film - if you don't like Hollywood period pieces, then don't watch these kinds of movies! Zoe.

Adrian K. gave it an 8:
A bit long, but entertaining and fun. lumley's performance (as elinor glyn) - and pre-hardened louella parson played by tilly - make the movie worth watching until the end. while hearst's character is portrayed well by edward hermann, his behavior is odd and disjointed. would a man reputed as being so powerful buckle and cower under the influence of his not-quite-love affair with marion davies (dunst), even to the point of irrational behavior and murder? doubtful. but then again, it is a movie... great music, great one-liners, great humor, great clothes...good entertainment.

Pat G. gave it a 10:
The era is created to perfection and there are superb performances from Kirsten Dunst and Joanna Lumley. Flawless acting and a totally unbeatable movie!

Sheila S. gave it a 10:
10 out of 10 just for the cool Charleston dancing!!

Steve P. gave it a 5:
Disappointing and dull period drama of old Hollywood. The direction lacks any energy or wit or style.

Richard gave it a 7:
Ultimately a trifle, but a well-executed one with an earned poignancy. Excellent performances all around, especially a surprisingly sharp Tilly.

Mary Jo M. gave it a 3:
Yawner.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use