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Cat's Meow, The
EMAILPRINTLions Gate Films Inc.

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 34 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Steven Peros (also play)
Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
Release Date:
Theatrical: April 12, 2002
DVD: August 20, 2002
Running Time: 112 minutes, B/W / Color
Origin: Canada / Germany / UK
Summary
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)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
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 >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 >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Peter Bogdanovich taps deep into the Hearst mystique, entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal.
Read Full Review >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 >New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo
It's vastly enjoyable in a low-down, scandal-mongering way.
Read Full Review >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 >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 >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 >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 >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 >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Bogdanovich takes a tale of old Hollywood and infuses it with velocity and enthusiasm.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Bogdanovich adds touches to appeal to serious film fans.
Read Full Review >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 >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 >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 >The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Faithfully recreates a bygone era of larger-than-life filmmakers and stars.
Read Full Review >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 >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 >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 >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 >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 >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 >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
For all its charms, sometimes feels as self-obsessed as the characters it slyly mocks.
Read Full Review >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 >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 >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 >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.
Read Full Review >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 >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 >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 >Time Richard Schickel
The result is tiresome and tone-deaf and a disappointing comeback for Bogdanovich.
Read Full Review >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
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.
