Parents' Guide to

The Richest Cat in the World

By Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Cute cat and kids can't save poorly made '80s comedy.

Movie NR 1986 87 minutes
The Richest Cat in the World Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

age 12+

1# Comedy of the Year

PG: an accident scene with some mild insults

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Talking cats are nothing new on-screen, so a film like this one has to offer more beyond this initial premise to make it worth the watch. Early 2019 headlines about a real-life "richest cat," when designer Karl Lagerfeld reportedly left an inheritance to his beloved cat Choupette, could give The Richest Cat in the World renewed relevance. But despite a few funny moments, especially a pre-Anchorman spoof of on-air broadcasters, and a couple of touching scenes between Oscar and Leo and later Bart and Leo, the humor and the drama of this uneven feature both ultimately fall flat.

Leo is cute enough, especially in the flashback scenes of his kitten beginnings, and he's sporting '80s idol Larry Hagman's voice (uncredited for some reason), but his adult personality just feels weird in the body of a cat befriending a small boy. The shtick involving Victor breaking bones gets old quickly, and he's flanked by two performers apparently being told to wildly overact as his zealous wife and his unstable patient. The director also wasn't able to pull very natural performances out of the two child actors, nor did he manage to edit out a scene where you can spot a microphone reflected in a car window.

Movie Details

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