The Cat's Meow (PG-13, 2002)

Set in the 1920s, THE CAT'S MEOW centers on a scandal involving powerful newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst (Edward Hermann). When Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes), one of Hollywood's biggest filmmakers and the creator of Western movies, dies after a visit to Hearst's yacht, the incident is officially recorded and reported in Hearst's newspapers as "natural causes." But rumors circulate. In flashbacks, we see guests arrive on the yacht, including writer Elinor Glyn (Joanna Lumley), Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard), and Hearst's longtime mistress actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst). The movie presents the most popular rumor about that day and the cause of Ince's death.

Peter Bogdanovich's movie is a loving recreation of a classic era for the film industry, with impeccable performances by Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin. Izzard has one of the most difficult challenges an actor can face -- portraying someone whose face and manner are so well documented that they will be familiar to many viewers. Izzard evokes Chaplin; he does not impersonate him. And he gives us a portrait of Chaplin that is rich, complex, and intimate. We see the genius, the charm, the discipline in some things and lack of discipline in others, the neediness, and the self-awareness.

As sensational novelist Elinor Glyn, Joanna Lumley delivers devastating commentary with scrumptious bite, timed down to the nanosecond. Edward Hermann and Kirsten Dunst are also memorable. Bogdanovich's mistake is in thinking that everyone is naturally as fascinated with the story and the era as he is, and so he does not have to do any work to draw the audience into the story. For that reason, it all comes across as a little too precious and distant.

Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Cast: Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Tilly, Kirsten Dunst
Genre: Drama
Run time: 112 minutes
Theatrical release: April 12, 2002
DVD release: August 20, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: language, sexual references, and violence