Overview
A spirited woman takes on the railroad, armed with determination and a questionable gunslinger.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- breezy
- classic movie night
- lighthearted western night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's novel musical-western format, lively performances, and satirical style, while finding its humor uneven and sometimes juvenile.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The threatened ranch, drunken gunfighter, railroad villainy, and deliberately absurd riding and gunfighting turn western conventions into comic material.
Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye perform the ballad of Cat Ballou between scenes, functioning as an ongoing musical commentary on the story.
Catherine Ballou takes up the fight after her father's killing and becomes the active force opposing the railroad's control of her family farm.
Kid Shelleen is introduced as an alcoholic, inept gunfighter whose physical and professional failures generate much of the film's humor.
Films like Cat Ballou, and why
Blazing Saddles
comic revisionist western tone, eccentric outlaws, and irreverent genre satire
Paint Your Wagon
stylized western comedy blending frontier action with musical interludes and broad humor
The Quick and the Dead
female-led outlaw narrative with playful western conventions and strong comic energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Elliot Silverstein
- Release Date
- 1965-06-24
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (290)
Cast
- Jane Fonda
- Michael Callan
- Lee Marvin
- Dwayne Hickman
- Tom Nardini
- John Marley
- Nat King Cole
- Stubby Kaye
- Reginald Denny
- Jay C. Flippen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- 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 Cat Ballou about?
- A spirited female outlaw recruits a spectacularly inept gunslinger to defend her family ranch from a ruthless railroad empire.
- What is Cat Ballou like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cat Ballou as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Cat Ballou violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Cat Ballou as mild.
- What did critics think of Cat Ballou?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's novel musical-western format, lively performances, and satirical style, while finding its humor uneven and sometimes juvenile.
- Which films are like Cat Ballou?
- Films with a similar feel include Blazing Saddles, Paint Your Wagon, and The Quick and the Dead.
- How long is Cat Ballou?
- Cat Ballou runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cat Ballou?
- In United States, Cat Ballou streams on IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
