Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- darkly atmospheric
- witty
- restrained
- period mystery night
- classic hollywood marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a restrained, atmospheric, intelligently acted period whodunit with vivid ensemble work and persuasive old Hollywood detail.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The yacht death of Thomas Ince is treated as an unresolved Hollywood legend rather than a straightforward documented event.
Hearst's yacht concentrates lovers, celebrities, journalists, and producers whose private motives intersect around the death.
The film evokes 1924 Hollywood through silent-film stars, gossip columns, lavish yacht society, and period entertainment culture.
Much of the drama unfolds aboard Hearst's yacht, with graceful camera movement tracking conversations across the confined social space.
Films like The Cat's Meow, and why
Gosford Park
period mystery built around scandal, celebrity culture, and shifting viewpoints
The Last of Sheila
stylish historical whodunit examining power, secrecy, and elite social performance
The Aviator
old Hollywood drama combining gossip, romantic entanglement, and media mythology
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
ensemble period drama about celebrity, desire, and concealed wrongdoing
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Release Date
- 2002-04-12
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (137)
Cast
- Kirsten Dunst
- Edward Herrmann
- Suzy Eddie Izzard
- Cary Elwes
- Joanna Lumley
- Jennifer Tilly
- Claudia Harrison
- Victor Slezak
- James Laurenson
- Ronan Vibert
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Cat's Meow about?
- A fatal weekend on William Randolph Hearst’s yacht becomes an elegant, shadowy reckoning with desire, celebrity, and Hollywood’s talent for burying inconvenient truths.
- What is The Cat's Meow like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Cat's Meow as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Cat's Meow violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Cat's Meow as mild.
- What did critics think of The Cat's Meow?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a restrained, atmospheric, intelligently acted period whodunit with vivid ensemble work and persuasive old Hollywood detail.
- Which films are like The Cat's Meow?
- Films with a similar feel include Gosford Park, The Last of Sheila, The Aviator, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
- How long is The Cat's Meow?
- The Cat's Meow runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Cat's Meow?
- In United States, The Cat's Meow streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel.
