Back to trending
The Cat's Meow

The Cat's Meow

Drama · Mystery · Thriller · 2002

Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.

Movie details

The Cat's Meow

“Some secrets won't stay buried.”

2002 Drama · Mystery · Thriller 1h 54m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.8 / 10

Community rating

Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Cat's Meow?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Appointment with Death

Appointment with Death

Thriller · 1988

Emily Boynton, the stepmother to three children, blackmails the family lawyer into destroying a second will of her late husband that would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself, the children, and her daughter-in-law on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land. At a dig, Emily is found dead and Hercule Poirot investigates.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Crime · 2016

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves in 1890s London in this holiday special.

Gosford Park

Gosford Park

Drama · 2001

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express

Drama · 1974

In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.

Murder in Three Acts

Murder in Three Acts

Crime · 1986

In Acapulco, Hercule Poirot attends a dinner party in which one of the guests clutches his throat and suddenly dies. The causes seem to be natural until another party with most of the same guests produces another corpse.

A Call to Spy

A Call to Spy

History · 2020

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

The Conspirator

The Conspirator

Crime · 2011

Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.

Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell

Drama · 2019

Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.

Agatha and the Truth of Murder

Agatha and the Truth of Murder

Drama · 2018

England, December 1926. Although her personal life is in tatters, the famous writer Agatha Christie decides to leave everything behind to help unravel an unsolved murder committed on a train six years ago, unable to imagine the disproportionate consequences that such a selfless act will cause.

The Blue Gardenia

The Blue Gardenia

Crime · 1953

Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Peter Bogdanovich

Written by

Steven Peros

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst

Marion Davies

Edward Herrmann

Edward Herrmann

W. R. Hearst

Suzy Eddie Izzard

Suzy Eddie Izzard

Charlie Chaplin

Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes

Thomas Ince

Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley

Elinor Glyn

Jennifer Tilly

Jennifer Tilly

Louella Parsons

Claudia Harrison

Claudia Harrison

Margaret Livingston

Court is in session

Put The Cat's Meow on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.