Movies about the showbiz industry are produced often in today's film market. From satires like America's Sweethearts to kids films like Big Fat Liar they encompass a wide variety of genres. Now the murder mystery is integrated into the world of showbiz in Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow starring Kirsten Dunst, Edward Herrmann, Eddie Izzard and Jennifer Tilly. The plot surrounds a mysterious death that occurred aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht. The film explores the possible culprits without revealing who actually committed the murder. The film is a murder mystery in the style of an Agatha Christie novel or you might find it to be similar to Robert Altman's Gosford Park.
The film builds and establishes interesting personas in all of its characters that play such names as Charlie Chaplin and the aforementioned William Randolph Hearst. The fact that the characters were all once real people definitely makes them seem more interesting to watch than if they were just characters created by a screenwriter. The acting is capable but nothing special by the cast of known actors. Kirsten Dunst and Edward Herrmann give the best performances of the film in their respective roles. The rest of the cast do fine but at times seem a little disinterested in the material. The script by Steven Peros is very bland but is helped by a very intriguing premise. It tends to be a little too talky at times but the film being based upon a play doesn't help matters. The film also suffers from taking place all in one area and not really making anything exciting happen to keep your interest like Panic Room was able to do. Direction by Bogdanovich has a very stagy feel to it. Almost all of the shots are medium to far shots with a few close-ups thrown in. This tactic tends to put the viewer to sleep, as the film has no quick camera movements or special effects to keep interest sustained beyond one's interest in the subject matter. This sure isn't an action-packed murder mystery like some other modern thrillers. The film does have some interesting looking sets and costumes to its credit, as this is a 1920's period piece.
Overall, The Cat's Meow is a slow and deliberate period drama/mystery with some good and some not so good performances. While the characters are inherently interesting that doesn't mean all of the actors do anything to improve their individual roles. The direction is nothing special but not horrible either. It's just mediocre like the overall film.
Rating: 70
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