The Cat's Meow
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Movie Reviews of The Cat's Meow
Movie Review: A delicious slice of historical Hollywood gossip.
Summary: 4 Stars
What DID happen on William Randolph Hearst's yacht that night in 1924? That has been a matter of speculation for decades, and "The Cat's Meow" dramatizes what is probably the most scandalous answer to the question. The yacht setting gives Peter Bogdanovich two advantages: he makes the production look lavish on a limited budget, and he exploits the claustrophobic, slightly hysterical atmosphere on board for all it's worth. Above all, Bogdanovich is a superb actor's director, and he gets excellent performances from the large ensemble cast, particularly from Edward Herrmann as Hearst and Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies. Herrmann gives a complex, surprisingly moving portrait of a man who finds that all his money and power can't protect him from jealousy and despair. As for Dunst, it's like the sun rises AND someone opens a bottle of champagne every time she makes an entrance. There's one scene--in which Hearst shows outtakes from one of Marion's ponderous costume dramas--that neatly demonstrates both Marion's incompetence as a dramatic actress and her enormous charm as a comedienne; only a great actress could have brought it off, and Dunst, at 19, shows she has what it takes to become one of the legendary Hollywood leading ladies. Also worth noting are British comedian Eddie Izzard, charismatic and surprisingly solemn as Charlie Chaplin; Cary Elwes, virtually oozing slime as producer Thomas Ince; and Joanna Lumley, the elegantly amusing voice of reason as novelist Elinor Glyn. The movie drags somewhat toward the end, when the cover-up of the crime occurs, but the film's muted coda is touching and resonant. "The Cat's Meow" is a fascinating, lovingly detailed mini-tour of Hollywood Babylon.Movie Review: Everybody Charleston!
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw this movie knowing only of Charlie Chaplin in the beginning of my old movie days. I like Kirsten Dunst and Cary Elwes. After seeing it, I was entertained by the Charleston scenes and not much else. Then, as I began to get more and more interested in the time period, I realized what an excellent movie this is. The story is very much like an old movie so it suits the time period in that way. It also was costumed brilliantly and cast well. Eddie Izzard might not look like Chaplin, but he plays him as if he knew the man. Some of the things in the movie that are mentioned are about things going on at the time period, like the fact that Chaplin got his young co-star of The Gold Rush (Lita Grey) pregnant. He eventually married her.
The extra features are great. The restored Chaplin short is funny and appropriate to the DVD. The interviews with the stars of the movie show that they thought about their characters. I love that Kirsten Dunst decided not to (falsely) portray Marion Davies as she was in Citizen Kane. I wouldn't have known about Marion if it weren't for this movie and the same goes for Thomas Ince. It is a great example of the efforts of wonderful people trying to revive a beautiful time period that will possibly be lost to the world.
Movie Review: Scandalous Story with Death as Destination...
Summary: 4 Stars
Cat's Meow is based on events that took place one November weekend in 1924 when the financial mogul William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann) invited a group of celebrities to his yacht. The occasion was to celebrate the birthday of the film producer Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes). Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard) was also among the invitees. There were also some rumors prior to the trip that Chaplin fancied the actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst) who was Hearst's beloved girlfriend. The birthday cruise became an envious love triangle which has death as its destination.
Peter Bogdanovich tells this particular Hollywood scandal in a convincing manner as the story is focused on the love triangle between Hearst, Davies, and Chaplin. The other characters add a lot of intrigue and color to the film as they all have their own motives for being on the yacht. The cast performances are solid and the mise-en-scene elevates the cinematic experience. However, the film never reaches it full potential as similar stories have done in the past where a murder is committed in a remote location. This hurt the integrity of the overall cinematic experience, but the film still offers the audience a good cinematic experience.
Movie Review: Decent film
Summary: 4 Stars
At the very minimum, at least you know you will get a minimally interesting film from Peter Bogdanovich. Paper Moon and The Last Picture Show are classics of modern movie making. While a departure from those two movies in style, this film is comparable in that it tells an interesting story, weaves a compelling narrative through the character interactions, and when the movie ends, the viewer gets the feeling the story is far from over.
A lot of criticisms have been levied at the casting, which I did not have a problem with. Are reviewers so jaded they only find beautiful, charming characters believable? In real life, there are many pretty young women who fall in love with older, physically unappealing men. In that sense, the attraction between the two is very believable; so believable, most viewers probably will not even give it a second thought (except for those who believe physical attraction is the only basis for why people fall in love).
Bottom line: a decent film worth seeing. It won't change your life like Bogdanovich's other two classics, but is worth seeing.
Movie Review: Kane mutiny
Summary: 4 Stars
Peter Bogdanovich's "The Cat's Meow" is a picture-perfect, yet fictionalized, account of a little-known 1924 incident aboard a yacht owned by media mogul William R. Hearst. The characters were all real people, although modern audiences may not be familiar with all of their names. Doesn't matter. The story is the thing here, and it's a terrific one, driven by power, love, lust, lies, desperation and duplicity. Edward Herrmann embodies Hearst like a second skin, while Eddie Izzard channels Charlie Chaplin and Jennifer Tilly oozes her way into a delicious portrayal of famed and feared gossip maven Louella Parson. Kirsten Dunst seems just a tad too young and modern for the Marion Davies part, but she gives it her all. Cary Elwes may surprise fans who remember him more for his comedic turn in "The Princess Bride" or as the villain in "Twister."
In short: full of twists both above and below deck, "The Cat's Meow" could leave most viewers with just one complaint -- that it should have been filmed in black and white.