The Cat's Meow

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Cat C Love Love LOVE this movie ~ it truly IS the Cat's Meow! ~ How is anyone first drawn to a film? I liked thLoe main promo pic as it looked like a fun film about the 1920s, my favorite decade, promised cool costumes and was available on Netflix. And the title's straight out of the 20's meaning "Something or someone highly enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially in a fancy or elaborate way." But after the first 10 minutes starting with Al Jolson's Avalon and Joanna Lumley's mysterious introduction I knew this was something special and as the film unfolded I loved it more and more. The cast was fascinating and Lumley's Elinor Glyn, Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies, Edward Herrmann a W,R, Hearst, Eddie Izzard's Charlie Chaplin, Cary Elwes as Thomas Ince and Jennifer Tilly's Louella Parsons all jumped off the screen and into my head and heart. The sets, costumes, music and dancing are totally fun and fabulous1920s. But there's a lot more going on that IS fabulous but definitely NOT fun! I won't reveal the plot but will say the brilliant script is based on "a semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathered aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924" This unique movie is a treat in SO many ways. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/19/23 Full Review david f Sometimes period films suffer from an overenthusiastic theatricality among the cast, I think particularly with these Roaring Twenties movies. This film is very dramatic and very melodramatic, and everyone's sort of hamming it up a lot. It was a bit much. Also, I wish they'd gotten someone more believable to play Charlie Chaplin. I did like some of the reflective and witty comments made about Hollywood and its culture and some of the theatricality wasn't off-putting but overall this was a stagey soap opera. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review jon c It's the cats meow when stuck on a voyage involving a love triangle and murder Kirsten Dunst, Edward Herman, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Tilly, and Cary Elwes directed by the late Peter Bogdanovich and based on Steven Pero's play of the same name Also inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas H. Ince that occurred on William Randolph Hearst's yacht during a weekend cruise celebrating Ince's birthday Taking place in 1924 with such old Hollywood faces like Charlie Chaplin and William Randolph Hearst On a yacht a murder took place with 14 passengers Only 1 witness was questioned out of the best known personalities in show business This is quite boring and not engaging The characters don't even attempt to have sparkling personalities No fun in the mystery and no spark in the script yet the costumes are commendable Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member There is a fundamental historical problem with this beautifully shot, evocative movie that gleams with the frivolity of 1924 Hollywood. It's about the death of fading movie mogul Thomas Ince and the glittering birthday party thrown for him on the yacht of the legendary media tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Peter Bogdanovich's 2001 movie, which features a stunning performance by Kristen Dunst giving human depth to the lovely Marion Davies, Hearst longtime mistress, depicts Hearst shooting Ince to death in a jealous rage during that party. But there is no evidence, beyond speculative gossip stirred by sensationalist headlines by Hearst's media enemies, that Hearst killed Ince (In the movie based on the gossip, Hearst was said to have actually meant to kill Charley Chaplin, also on board, who he suspected of having an affair with Davies.) By most reliable accounts, including that of Ince's widow, Ince died of a heart attack in a hospital after being stricken ill on the yacht. Hearst, an innovating giant in the swashbuckling era of big city newspapers, and who later became known for ruthlessness and vindictiveness, seemed to be pretty much libel-proof. Orson Welles's "Citizen Kane" was released in 1941 when both Hearst and Davies were alive, for example. That movie was a thinly veiled assault on Hearst, who certainly deserved opprobrium, and also on Davies, who in real life was a serious and fun-loving actress who was dedicated to Hearst till he died in 1951. Davies was universally beloved in Hollywood. Both Hearst and Davies were long dead when Peter Bogdanovich's "Cat's Meow" came out in 2001. Dunst, though, bestows dignity and respect on Marion Davies, and she should be very proud at having done it so beautifully. Dunst's magnificent performance is the best reason to see "Cat's Meow," keeping in mind that the plot itself is full of baloney. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review steve d The performances are flat and the story uninteresting. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I personally enjoyed this movie. In context, it predated many of the 1920s movies and had excellent casting. Portions of the movie felt a little too sensationalist, although this appears to have been intentional. Edward Hermann's performance was top notch and Izzard and Dunst were no slouches either. Odds are, you will either enjoy the movie from the get go or find it in some way intolerable and choose to watch something else. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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