The Cat's Meow

Rating:
Summary: It's Just The Cat's Meow
Review: The Cat's Meow is a delightfully entertaining film, set in 1934 on the cruise ship Oneida. The events that took place on board that boat were never actually discovered. This film entertains one of the many theories of how the events transpired that weekend. It's the 43rd birthday of film director and producer Thomas Ince, played nicely by Cary Elwes. Mr. Ince's friend Marion Davies is throwing him a birthday party on board the yacht Oneida which is owned by her lover William Randolph Hearst. Marion's guest list also included her friend and part-time fling, actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin. Hearst is very possessive of Marion and he is not fond of the relationship that her and Mr. Chaplin share. The other guests include Elinor Glyn who was an extremely famous romance novelist, Louella 'Lolly' Parsons a well known up and coming Hollywood gossip columnist, and Ms. Margaret Livingston a not so well known actress who was also Ince's mistress. Now I know what you are thinking all the wrong people are in all the right places for the sparks to begin flying and fly they do.
Though many of us would not have picked such an unknown actor such as Eddie Izzard to portray Charlie Chaplin the results support themselves. In this more serious portrayal of Chaplin, Eddie Izzard did spectacular. Kirsten Dunst plays Marion Davies quite remarkably I must say the on screen chemistry that Dunst and Izzard share is shockingly realistic. The largest downfall for this film would have to be the chemistry between Marion Davies and her lover William Randolph Hearst, or should I say the lack of. Edward Herrmann who portrayed Hearst did wonderful in his own right but the scenes that he and Dunst shared, suspended believability farther than I am willing to allow. There just seamed to be no connection between the two, even though in real life Marion Davies stayed by William Randolph Hearst until his death nearly thirty years later. I just felt that when portraying real people it is quite important to display the connection that they shared, you know for history's' sake and for my own as a viewer.
Alright lets get back to the good stuff. In my opinion the best part about this film has to be the roles portrayed by Joanne Lumley and Jennifer Tilly. Jennifer Tilly plays gossip columnist Lolly Parsons. Jennifer Tilly is such a delight to watch on screen, she has that presence that makes everyone want to giggle the first time that she appears on camera. Her role is quite different from many of her films that she has been in, but she still pulls the role off nicely. My favorite part of the film would have to be Joanne Lumley many of you may not recognize her but she has been around. She plays Patsy on the BBC program Absolutely Fabulous. Joanne plays novelist Elinor Glyn who in the film is the woman who tells it like it is. Elinor has a witty comment or comeback for everyone. Lets just say that Elinor has a way with words, hence her novelist status. Joanne Lumley is perfect for the role, she fits in so nicely that I don't think I could even picture someone else playing Elinor Glyn. Joanne's performance is spectacular, she is a great actress. Peter Bogdonovich did a good job, I especially liked the color changes from full color to black and white and back again they really enhanced the story. Overall the film is well worth watching and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys film as much as I do or anyone that is interested in possible scenarios in history.

Rating:
Summary: "I'm asking you to join me in an oath of silence"
Review: The Cat's Meow offers an insight into what may (or may not) have occurred during a fateful pleasure cruise aboard media mogul William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924. One guest didn't survive the trip, and afterwards the other passengers only ever talked about what happened during those few days in riddles. The film is at pains to point out that it only depicts one possible version of events, which unfortunately does rather undermine the convincing storyline.

The story begins in Hollywood, "a land just off the coast of the planet earth", in that decadent decade dominated by the Charleston, flappers, and bootleg moonshine. The women's costumes are thus visually spectacular - all satin and feathers - but some of the actors seem to be overwhelmed by the splendour, and appear somewhat wooden as a result. The notable exception to this is Kirsten Dunst, who plays the effervescent Marion Davies, Hearst's mistress. However, the best lines in the film surely belong to the wonderfully cynical and sarcastic Joanna Lumley.

The thing the movie does capture to perfection is the double standards extant in Hollywood. One of the characters disdainfully dismisses the Prohibition, claiming that alcohol isn't illegal "for us". And that seems to pretty much sum up the attitude of the film fraternity at the time - that they are above rules and regulations. Even murder, it would seem, can be hushed up.

This isn't a murder mystery as such; anyone with a thorough knowledge of Hollywood history will know who died, and the whispers surrounding the event. But the average viewer may question if, after all this time, they really care what the truth is. Better instead to enjoy this film as a fiction.


Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: the cat's meow. excellent movie. what a pleasure to have a dollop of gold like this prepared for us-the movie going public.
the cast.........everone is perfect.
i thought kirstin dunst could've won an academy award for her marion davies in this pic.
but need i stop there?
eddie izzard is excellent .........ed herrman excellent......cary elwes.......heck........the entire cast is just wonderful. from the major players to the bit players.
and................quite importantly, i'd like to tell about the DVD of this film.
the dvd is CHOCK FULL with juicy goodies.......interviews....featurettes..........rehearsals........chaplin short...........
in summation, i knew next to nothing about this film. i don't recall its appearance in a cinema.
and yet, here it is........available and a-waiting for you to discover it too.
thank you peter and your helpers for a wonderful film.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but not as purr-fect as you'd expect
Review: The latest feature from film maker/critic Peter Bogdanovich is a speculative account of events leading to murder that took place on the yacht of media giant William Randolph Hearst (played by Edward Herrmann) on the night of Sat Nov 15 1924.(Great, now I sound like a court reporter).
Among the famous passengers and possible suspects were Hearst's mistress, actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst), Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard) on the brink of his next big success THE GOLD RUSH, film pioneer Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes), gossip columnist Louella Parsons (Jennifer Tilly) and writer Elinor Glyn (Joanna Lumley). Bogdanovich and writer Steve Pero, who scripted from his play have crafted an entertaining ensemble piece/ mystery which somehow manages to avoid falling into the conspiracy theory trap. Add to this lavish production design and good performances all round, especially by Dunst and you have the best Agatha Christie story that Agatha Christie never wrote. You keep expecting Peter Ustinov to show up at some point. Sure, there are the expected love triangles, deep dark secrets and red herrings abound but that doesn't stop THE CAT'S MEOW from being entertaining, despite there being no consistent story of the facts existing. Entertaining, but not special. But with a cast like that, THE CAT'S MEOW is still worth a look.
DVD extras include a director's commentary, making of feature, a Chaplin short film, newsreel footage, interviews with Bogdanovich and the cast and the movie's trailer.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This has to be THE worst movie I have ever seen. I was so excited because it has Joanna Lumley who I love from AbFab. And I think Jennifer Tilly is adorable. But the movie in whole was a disapointment. I agree with a previous review, that the relationship between Kirsten Dunst and that old man wasnt convincing. I thought he was her father for the most part, partly because she called him daddy. All in all, I wouldnt recomend this to anyone, except maybe insomniacs who need help to get to sleep, because thats all this movie will do for you.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't feel the magic
Review: This is a diverting movie, but a disappointment nonetheless. The acting was just fine, especially Kirsten Dunst, who is quite three-dimensional as the surprisingly strong and willfully charming actress Marion Davies who was Wm. Randolph Hearst's mistress. The rest of the cast is fine, too, except for the horribly annoying Jennifer Tilly as Louella Parsons. (Time for Ms. Tilly's gold watch. Enough's enough.) The sets, the look--all of that was done with a fine devotion to period accuracy and style. Music, too. So it's well-done. But the script misfires in a few areas. Its depiction of Hearst is as mean-spirited in its own way as Orson Welles', but far less compelling as it portrays Hearst as a helpless, paranoid buffoon, which he most assuredly was not. The man Davies describes to other characters is a far more interesting character than the man you see. Chaplin's ardor is not particularly believable, but other characters seem to believe it despite evidence to the contrary. Ditto Thomas Ince's role as a movie mogul. He's so weak, dumb and whiny, you can't imagine that he ever scaled the heights from which he is now tumbling. So, in the end, I think it's worth seeing, but I really was hoping for something much better.

Rating:
Summary: a little known gem
Review: this movie slipped right by me. i'm usually up on everything that comes out but i was barely aware of this lil' gem.
kirstin dunst portrays perfectly the care-free actress marion davies. she could've taken home a statue for her role in this. edward herrmann is a great WRH........mr. izzard issues a smart charlie chaplin.....carey elwes-all excellent, right on down to the 2nd tier players and bit parts.
this movie makes me feel good about the director peter B.
something similar to david lynch with his excellent mulholland drive which burst forth from the sleeping giant like a fresh daisy-i'm sure Peter is very proud of this little gem.
must make mention of the exciting bonus's on the dvd. interviews, featurette, a chaplin short, making of.........many goodies and juicy treats for the cat's meow.

Rating:
Summary: a olden type movie
Review: This movie takes place in the past, the 50's I think and on a boat. It's just a bunch of actors and writers and rich people. Kirten Dunset plays a young actress, I think Maryln Monroe (I think the other characters call her Maryln). She is very good int his role because it requires her to ACT! SHe has to be both serious and funny when people arent looking. Alos on the boat is an actor named Charlie who is having an affair with Kirsten. Overall a good movie, but its a who dun it?! A who dun it is when theres a crime and nobody knows who did it and the audience has to figure it out like a puzzle. American Beauty was a who dun it and so is this movie. It hink its a cheat cause the writers theysleves dont know who dun it, but if yoiu can ignore that and you are a fan of old movie type ACTING, then The cat's Meow is for you.

Rating:
Summary: a olden type movie
Review: This movie takes place in the past, the 50's I think and on a boat. It's just a bunch of actors and writers and rich people. Kirten Dunset plays a young actress, I think Maryln Monroe (I think the other characters call her Maryln). She is very good int his role because it requires her to ACT! SHe has to be both serious and funny when people arent looking. Alos on the boat is an actor named Charlie who is having an affair with Kirsten. Overall a good movie, but its a who dun it?! A who dun it is when theres a crime and nobody knows who did it and the audience has to figure it out like a puzzle. American Beauty was a who dun it and so is this movie. It hink its a cheat cause the writers theysleves dont know who dun it, but if yoiu can ignore that and you are a fan of old movie type ACTING, then The cat's Meow is for you.

Rating:
Summary: The cat's litter box
Review: This movie was boring. There was no chemistry between the actors and it dragged on way too long. The only thing that made it interesting was that it was based on a true story. I've been to the Hearst castle and I think they could have done so much more to it than they did. Kirsten Dunst, once again, shows off her talent for picking stupid movies and then giving them her all.