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The Rat Catcher

Play trailer Poster for The Rat Catcher 2023 17m Comedy Animation Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator.
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The Rat Catcher

Critics Reviews

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Adam Graham Detroit News 10/06/2023
A-
His actors are across-the-board superb... Go to Full Review
Sam Adams Slate 10/03/2023
[The] visual presentation and rapid-fire dialogue make [it] instantly recognizable as Anderson's, but [the] tone takes him into territory so unexpected it might be disorienting if his hand were not so sure. Go to Full Review
Richard Brody The New Yorker 10/03/2023
Lest viewers become even briefly comfortable with the enchantments of his staging and of his actors’ performances, Anderson jolts them alert with ever more audacious contrivances. Go to Full Review
Cody Allen Geek Vibes Nation Jul 25
10/10
The Rat Catcher unveils a character of extraordinary grotesqueness, a wandering soul named Fiennes. Go to Full Review
Zach Youngs InSession Film 07/03/2024
Marvel at the deft editing of The Rat Catcher. Go to Full Review
A.S. Hamrah n+1 03/08/2024
In unprecedented total avoidance of cheese in commercial narrative filmmaking, the act of writing and the writers doing it appear in these movies, but Anderson refrains from showing their writing on the screen in superimposition. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Steven t @SST609 Nov 8 Great actings .Quirky weird short by a master of film. See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Oct 18 The Rat Catcher is a 17-minute short film that leans heavily into artistic expression, showcasing a distinct visual style that is undeniably creative. The design, colors, and composition are clearly crafted with an art-world sensibility, which makes it intriguing from a purely visual standpoint. However, as a short intended for streaming audiences, it struggles to deliver a cohesive cinematic experience. The direction feels scattered, and the screenplay suffers from an overreliance on narration. The narrator appears on screen frequently, breaking the immersion, while the rat itself is depicted in a way that resembles taxidermy, creating an uncanny and somewhat off-putting effect. These choices might work in a gallery or student project context, but when presented as a standalone film, they make it difficult to engage with the story or characters. Overall, while the short demonstrates creativity and technical experimentation, it is not particularly enjoyable as a film meant for streaming. The presentation feels more like an academic project or art experiment than a polished narrative piece, and it ultimately did not resonate with me. For those seeking a conventional short film experience, this one may prove frustrating rather than captivating. See more Julian Rex M @Julian_M Jun 2 Lacking the innocent charm of Poison, but missing none of Wes Anderson's distinctive visual style, The Rat Catcher is an innocent, intermittently funny adaptation of Roald Dahl's short story that is content to drag when it drags and entertain when it entertains. See more TROYS S May 29 In only 17 minutes (Just like one of his other shortfilma made for Netflix: "The Swan") Wes Anderson manages to craft a unique and original amazing adaptation of one of Roald Dahls many novels. See more Kalissa H @kali_416 Feb 14 I really enjoyed the twist ending. I felt sorry for the stop-motion rat though. See more Jens B Jan 18 Anderson's style fits the original perfectly, Fiennes/Ayoade/Friend are great - but unfortunately I wasn't interested in the story at all. Yes, you can read a lot into it, but you can also just enjoy the stop motion rat and the actors. Like me. See more Read all reviews
The Rat Catcher

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Movie Info

Synopsis A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator.
Director
Wes Anderson
Producer
Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales
Screenwriter
Wes Anderson
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
American Empirical Pictures, Netflix, Indian Paintbrush
Genre
Comedy, Animation, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 29, 2023
Runtime
17m
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