Forums >Off the Beaten Path>(Good) movies with (real) cats...
Will run for scenery.
Several years ago, during a 1970's film binge, I watched The Long Goodbye, with Elliot Gould, based on the Raymond Chandler novel.
One of the things that struck me the most was an extended scene of him feeding his cat. It dawned on me that movies just don't feature ordinary moments with ordinary cats. Dogs ? Yeah, they're trainable, predictable, and can be made to fit into X.X seconds of screen time. But cats do their own thing, so they're too risky for (short attention span) Hollywood movies.
Yesterday I watched a French film, The Hedgehog (based on thenovel The Elegance of Hedgehogs). A very nice film with a talented 12-year-old female lead character. But what struck me the most : all the characters had cats. Adorable, plump, lazy and/or elegant cats. Just doing their own thing.
It seems odd to me, that if an alien civilization were to watch all the movies we humans have ever produced, they might not even realize that a lot of us have cats at home, and they're part of our lives.
So let's have it ! What movies have you seen that meet the following rules :
1) A decent movie worth watching.
2) One or more scenes where a pet cat is a primary focus.
3) Not a gimmick, as in : cat knocks over candle, sets house on fire.
Stupid feet!
Stupid elbow!
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Alien, Austin Powers...I'm sure I'll think of more.
Ok, so not technically a cat or live action, but Toothless the dragon in "How to Train Your Dragon" was modeled after cat behavior. I think they studied our cat Chase! The eyes and attitude, for sure.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Inside Llewyn Davis (really want to see this)
Ooh, The Adventures of Milo & Otis and Homeward Bound (the first one was watchable).
Harry and Tonto. Art Carney at his best.
Well, you got Stephen King's Pet Semetary and Stephen King's Cat's Eye. Of course, the movies were not as good as the books.
Jonesy in Alien.
Wow, this forum is busier that I thought.
I saw Harry and Tonto when I was a kid. About some old guy and a cat. Now I'm an old guy, with cats. I should check it out.
Born Free (1966)
My leg won't stop mooing.
i think i've got a calf injury.
^This +1000...currently in "limited release", only at 1 theater in our area, which is not very close to us.
Heard the Coen Bros talking about it, apparently the cat was very difficult to work with (not surprisingly), which could explain why cats don't show up in many movies.
Dave
The Boondock Saints has a scene with a cat...
And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx
Rob
The Godfather, in the opening scene Vito Corleone is holding a cat during a meeting. A classic cat moment, the cat clearly loves Marlon Brando. It was an improvised scene. The story is the cat was a stray on the soundlot at Paramount. Brando picked up the cat & Coppola put in the shot. Definitely a movei worth watching.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
1963's The Incredible Journey.
I loved this movie and got a Siamese cat as soon as I moved out on my own.
+1 on Milo and Otis.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Constantine (2005): John Constantine uses a cat as an aide to visit hell.