The Cat's Meow
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: April 12, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Rolling StonePeter 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
90
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
An elegant drama about power and its frightening uses, The Cat's Meow is the bee's knees. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Peter Bogdanovich taps deep into the Hearst mystique, entertainingly reenacting a historic scandal. Read full review
80
New Times (L.A.)Bill Gallo
It's vastly enjoyable in a low-down, scandal-mongering way. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan 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
80
VarietyDerek Elley
Playful and sporty, with just a small twist of the knife, The Cat's Meow is good, uncomplicated fun. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin 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
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Bogdanovich takes a tale of old Hollywood and infuses it with velocity and enthusiasm. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Bogdanovich adds touches to appeal to serious film fans. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam 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
75
Boston GlobeJay 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
75
ReelViewsJames 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
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger 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
70
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Faithfully recreates a bygone era of larger-than-life filmmakers and stars. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. 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
70
SlateDavid 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
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
A modest, restrained picture, as small and satisfying as one of Woody Allen's better recent efforts. Read full review
70
SalonCharles 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
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The film is better on mood than on message, sharply etching the professional desperation behind the forced gaiety. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMark 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
63
New York PostJonathan 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
63
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
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
For all its charms, sometimes feels as self-obsessed as the characters it slyly mocks. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland 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
60
Film ThreatMerle 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
58
Portland OregonianShawn 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
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Dunst makes Davies the most confident and interesting person aboard the Oneida and makes this voyage almost, but not quite, worth taking.
50
Austin ChronicleMarc 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
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid 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
50
Baltimore SunMichael 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
40
TimeRichard Schickel
The result is tiresome and tone-deaf and a disappointing comeback for Bogdanovich. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
An inert, respectable bore. Read full review
40
EmpireMiles 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
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The script is dead in the water, and most of the misanthropic repartee rings resoundingly false.
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