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Cat's Meow, The
Lions Gate Films Inc.


7.3

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

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...

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.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

An elegant drama about power and its frightening uses, The Cat's Meow is the bee's knees.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Peter Bogdanovich taps deep into the Hearst mystique, entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal.

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.

New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo

It's vastly enjoyable in a low-down, scandal-mongering way.

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.

Variety Derek Elley

Playful and sporty, with just a small twist of the knife, The Cat's Meow is good, uncomplicated fun.

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.

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.

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.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Bogdanovich takes a tale of old Hollywood and infuses it with velocity and enthusiasm.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Bogdanovich adds touches to appeal to serious film fans.

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.

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.

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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Faithfully recreates a bygone era of larger-than-life filmmakers and stars.

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.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

A modest, restrained picture, as small and satisfying as one of Woody Allen's better recent efforts.

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.

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.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The film is better on mood than on message, sharply etching the professional desperation behind the forced gaiety.

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.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

For all its charms, sometimes feels as self-obsessed as the characters it slyly mocks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LA Weekly Manohla Dargis

An inert, respectable bore.

Time Richard Schickel

The result is tiresome and tone-deaf and a disappointing comeback for Bogdanovich.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The script is dead in the water, and most of the misanthropic repartee rings resoundingly false.

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.

Cat's Meow, The Lions Gate Films Inc.

Cat's Meow, The
Lions Gate Films Inc.