When you notice a cat in profound meditation, In the opening sequence, Victoria, abandoned by her owners, is taken under the collective wing of the gang of street cats known as "Jellicle cats." In 1939, T.S. (I saw Betty Buckley do it, and the entire audience practically seized up when she hit those notes on "Tooouch meeeeee!"). After a triumphant run in London, it moved to Broadway, where it promptly smashed every record in the book, becoming the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history. Whether it's the uncanny CGI human/cat-like figures, the inconsistent and distracting scaling and sizing issues, or even the plasticky, garish look of the whole film, Cats is a really unpleasant spectacle. Many of the cats do their number and are never seen again. The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. ), The central figure, besides Victoria, is Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a bedraggled cat who's the "Delta Dawn" of the cat world, shunned by the rest of the cats for her disreputable past. You're denied the sense of sustained movement, denied the simple pleasure of watching dancers dance. An older, disgraced cat acknowledges her pain but presses past it anyway -- and, as a result, gains an incredible opportunity. Soundtrack was a mixed bag. Cats is the "best worst movie ever made". Movie Reviews Cats Review: Ignore the Haters, Enjoy the Music and Dancing If you liked Cats the musical, you will like the film, the scathing reviews are just bullies piling on. There are all these dance numbers in "Cats," and Hooper spends so much time cutting around, changing angles, flying up to the ceiling, manipulating the images. The takes are long. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy It was the second Broadway show I saw as a child), but obviously throngs of audiences have thrilled to it. (A nice callback: Judi Dench was cast in the original London production, in the dual role of Grizabella and Jennyanydots. As of Friday evening, Cats had achieved a score of 20 per cent on the movie-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which offered this synposis: "Despite its fur-midable cast, this Cats adaptation is a clawful mistake that will leave most viewers begging to be put out of their mew-sery." Macavity shows up to wreck everybody else's "act," for no discernible reason (he's got Iago's "motiveless Malignity," to quote Samuel Taylor Coleridge). 4.5. bad. There are all these dance numbers in "Cats," and Hooper spends so much time cutting around, changing angles, flying up to the ceiling, manipulating the images. The adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical is Oscar-winner Tom Hooper's second foray into the genre, after 2012's Les Miserables. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Copyright © Fandango. And for all of the technical expertise that clearly went into pulling it off, it all feels squandered on a misguided and painfully showy movie. Over all of this jazz-hands talent-show activity looms the there-and-not-there Macavity (Idris Elba), perched on the tops of buildings like an ominous bat-signal. Violence. Performances, unsettling special effects and a plot that makes zero sense have all been raised as the film's worst points. There are some who will find this unbearably silly. Andrew Lloyd Webber took these poems, wove them together loosely, initially envisioning it as a concert or a chamber piece. Attention, moviegoers searching for the worst movie of the year: We have a late-breaking winner. Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. It's a resurrection fantasy, a dream of cleansing and purification (all things which T.S. A sneaky, creepy, conniving cat tries to use magic and sorcery to win a chance at a new life. The movie “Cats” is—forgive the critical jargon—pretty good. You may be able to find the same … ... Cats Review. The Cats movie is about cats, yes. The genesis for the movie stretches back to the 1970s when Lloyd Webber began adapting T.S. Hudson's Grizabella is pissed when she sings that. Cats the movie is a slick, computer-enhanced celeb-fest with meticulously choreographed set-pieces taking place in a version of London that sits … This content is imported from YouTube. Eliot published a book called Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, filled with poems he had written about cats to amuse his godchildren. https://www.buzzfeed.com/kellymartinez/18-funniest-audience-reviews-for-cats Taylor Swift plays Bombalurina, Macavity's gun moll sidekick. When you notice a cat in profound meditation,The reason, I tell you, is always the same:His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplationOf the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name. The whimsical collection of T.S. Eliot. Cats movie reviews & Metacritic score: Blanket is an indoor cat who is too afraid to leave his apartment. Cats hits cinemas today, and the majority of reviews for the movie are extremely negative. May 30, 2020 | Full Review… Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables," "The King's Speech") has brought "Cats" to the screen, not doing much to it (what's to be done, really? There are only a couple of sustained shots in "Cats," and they stand out for the pleasure they bring. But at the same time it was watchable. The actors range from lively to passionate to profound. The appeal of the show is somewhat mysterious to me (and I've seen it twice. The structure of Cats is basically a talent show for cats, where the prize is a trip to the "Heavyside Layer" (i.e. That's a pro.). ‘Cats’: Film Review Nine may not be enough lives for some of the stars to live down their involvement in this poorly conceived and executed adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical. You couldn't. 13 IMAGES. Screenshot via Twitter Show More Show Less 12 of 16 This image released by Universal Pictures shows Taylor Swift as Bombalurina in a scene from "Cats." Cats may very well be the most unique film of the year, certainly released by a major studio, and you'll love it and hate it but you sure won't forget it. Cats movie review – Ludicrous, pointless and quite frankly – simply not good enough You're denied the sense of sustained movement, denied the simple pleasure of watching dancers dance. "Old Deuteronomy" (Judi Dench) is the wise elder cat, and the master of ceremonies. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer. (Watch what she does with "I must wait for the sunrise." There's not nearly enough of that in "Cats," but I enjoyed the film for what it is. Hudson does not disappoint, filling the lyrics with rage and pathos. Don't have an account? Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4.0 The Best Worst Movies Ever Made. Embarrassing even. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” for the stage. "Heaven"), a place where the chosen cat moves on to the next of their (presumably) nine lives. They sing a song explaining "Jellicle cats," but since the lyrics are almost totally incomprehensible during all the group numbers (a problem throughout, and it's inexcusable), it's hard to get a line on what is going on. In fact, Trevor Nunn refused to come on board as director unless Dench was cast. Cats review – a purr-fectly dreadful hairball of woe 1 / 5 stars 1 out of 5 stars. Cat-astrophic special effects ruin Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the infamous stage musical Cats. But it also should have been about, well, Cats. Eliot had very strong feelings about). You are allowed to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers create the dance together, in real time. Hudson makes sense of her character, personalizes the character, and sings the hell out of the song, all while wearing a cat suit. Cats review: a sinister, all-time disaster from which no one emerges unscathed — Tim Robey (who gave the film zero stars), The Telegraph. Director Tom Hooper’s movie is a huge failure because he’s completely abandoned the fundamentals of what made “Cats” a terrific show: sublime music, captivating dance and … He casts some big names like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson, and fills it out with lesser-known performers, as well as an enchanting newcomer named Francesca Hayward, a principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet, who plays "Victoria," the wide-eyed innocent cat thrust into a strange new world. The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. She's allowed to do the beautiful thing she knows how to do, and we're privileged enough to watch. But the song is about the music, not the words: it's written for a major voice, with its slow build and thrilling finish. It's a song about memory and moonlight and ... honestly, I get a little lost, trying to follow what she's so upset about. It has no plot. "Cats" features grown humans crawling around in furry suits pretending to be cats. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here. There are all these dance numbers in "Cats," and Hooper spends so much time cutting around, changing angles, flying up to the ceiling, manipulating the images. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Forgot your password? The internet was immediately perplexed when the Cats trailer premiered in July, and now that people have seen it, it doesn't appear reception has warmed at all. They sing a song explaining "Jellicle cats," but since the lyrics are almost totally incomprehensible during all the group numbers (a problem throughout, and it's inexcusable), it's hard to get a line on what is going on. Her appearance here has a lot of resonance for those who know the history. If you can overlook the problematic CGI and enjoy the craft of the performances, Cats may be a unique blend of musical and movie. The first full Cats reviews are in and they are brutal. Different cats take the spotlight, and perform a number about who they are. Reviewers panned the new "Cats" movie. Cats was theatrically released in the United Kingdom and the United States on 20 December 2019, by Universal Pictures. The film received negative reviews from … The musical doesn't trust the audience, doesn't trust that the dancing in and of itself is exciting enough to hold our interest. The camera follows them. "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. The story is thin, to say the least. If you go back and watch musicals in the 1930s, it's instantly clear how much we have lost. Cats review – … "Mr. Mistoffelees" (Laurie Davidson) does magic tricks. Something as unapologetically theatrical as Cats was always going to be hard to film. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. A far cry from The Waste Land, almost 20 years before, Eliot's poems are sweet and sneakily profound, detailing different kinds of cats, their behaviors, personalities, and mysterious self-involvement. "Bustopher Jones" (James Corden) is a street cat decked out in tail-coat and spats. "Jennyanydots" (, Over all of this jazz-hands talent-show activity looms the there-and-not-there Macavity (, The central figure, besides Victoria, is Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a bedraggled cat who's the "Delta Dawn" of the cat world, shunned by the rest of the cats for her disreputable past. It's essentially about a bunch of felines — called Jellicle cats. "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. I suggest these people never take an acting class or a movement class. All rights reserved. Different cats take the spotlight, and perform a number about who they are. They wouldn't last five minutes! The first trailer arrived during this year's San Diego Comic-Con, which was an odd time to debut it. and the Terms and Policies, If you're not familiar with the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Cats is based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. How could you predict something like "Cats"' success? ), and over-producing much of it (the sets feel self-consciously referential, almost to the point of irony, but not quite). theater. Rated PG Nobody saw the smash hit coming. Now, Rotten Tomatoes just revealed how bad it is. "Jennyanydots" (Rebel Wilson) is a lazy tabby who wreaks havoc at night. Some hit songs like Magical Mr Mistoffelees, The Old Gumbie Cat and The Rum Tum Tugger were butchered. With this film, Tom Hooper became the third person to direct both a Best Picture Oscar winner and Worst Picture Razzie winner, after Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990) and The Postman (1997)) and Peter Farrelly (Green Book (2018) and Movie 43 (2013)). You are allowed to watch, Outlines: A Queer Reading of Some Silhouettes, Resident Alien Blends Humor, Heart into Effective Escapism, Jules Goes to Therapy in Her Own Special Episode of Euphoria, HBO's Painting with John is a Magnetic Celebration of Arts and Artists. After the release of the first Cats trailer in July, most fans assumed the reaction to the live-action remake would be bad. At the time of this writing, the film's Rotten Tomatoes score is just 17% after 89 reviews. He ties up other cats and threatens to … Richard Lawson is Vanity Fair’s chief critic. Dench dropped out at the last minute, after snapping her Achilles tendon. If you go back and watch musicals in the 1930s, it's instantly clear how much we have lost. The review embargo for the upcoming movie adaptation of Cats, directed by Tom Hooper, lifted on Wednesday night and critics all across the internet have been coughing up furballs.. This movie is far from a purrfect adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical. Eliot cat poems from which the script is drawn is no more than a prompt for a series of musical numbers and the feline talent show which ties them all together has a weird conclusion. And that it did. There's almost no conflict. Cats movie review: Two hours of only song and dance After that bonkers trailer, we knew Cats was going to engender some stranger moments. Cats Review: A Tragical Mess of Mistoffelees. "Cats" has a lot of issues, issues also present in the theatrical production (which didn't seem to matter to the audiences who flocked to it for 18 years). Sign up here. Grizabella sings "Memory," a show-stopping song based (loosely), on Eliot's poem Rhapsody on a Windy Night. The following is a review of CATS by my father Wendell, as told to me. Critic Reviews for Cats The film is flat, without any of the camp, kitsch high energy that characterised the stage show, but its wrongness is never less than mesmerising. Grizabella sings "Memory," a show-stopping song based (loosely), on Eliot's poem, "Cats" suffers from a problem common in contemporary filmed musicals. In the opening sequence, Victoria, abandoned by her owners, is taken under the collective wing of the gang of street cats known as "Jellicle cats." Cats review – will haunt viewers for generations No amount of A-list stars can save Tom Hooper’s dire Lloyd Webber adaptation from being a career low for all involved Simran Hans Its elements are gathered and chosen and crafted attentively. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. Cats is exactly as crazy as you thought it would be: Review By Leah Greenblatt December 18, 2019 at 07:00 PM EST It's "London's Got Talent" for the feline set. for some rude and suggestive humor. "Skimbleshanks" (Steven McRae) commandeers railway cars with the power of his tap-dancing. 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