That Darn Cat (1997)

A maid is kidnapped and scratches a message onto D.C. the cat's collar and when his owner Patti discovers this, she plays amateur detective with the help of D.C. to try to find the culprits.

Director:

Bob Spiers

Writers:

Gordon Gordon (novel), Mildred Gordon (novel),

Stars:

Christina Ricci, Doug E. Doug, Dean Jones

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christina Ricci	...	Patti
Doug E. Doug	...	Agent Zeke Kelso
Dean Jones	...	Mr. Flint
George Dzundza	...	Boetticher
Peter Boyle	...	Pa
Michael McKean	...	Peter Randall
Bess Armstrong	...	Judy Randall
Dyan Cannon	...	Mrs. Flint
John Ratzenberger	...	Dusty
Megan Cavanagh	...	Lu
Estelle Parsons	...	Old Lady McCracken
Rebecca Schull	...	Ma
Thomas F. Wilson	...	Melvin (as Tom Wilson)
Brian Haley	...	Marvin
Mark Christopher Lawrence	...	Rollo

Storyline

In a small Massachusetts town, two bumbling criminals mistakenly kidnap a maid, thinking her to be the wife of a prominent businessman. D.C., short for Darn Cat, is an alley cat who, while looking for his nightly snack, stumbles upon the kidnap victim, bound and gagged in a shed. The kidnap victim scratches a plea for help on the back of her wristwatch and puts it around the cat's neck. Patti finds the watch and links it to the missing maid. Playing amateur detective, she enlists the aid of an FBI agent, Zeke, who has been assigned to the case. Patti and Zeke follow D.C. through tight openings to track down the captive.

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Plot Keywords:

cat | maid | amateur detective | fbi | teen angst | 

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Taglines:

This FBI agent is putting his life on the line. Fortunately, he's got nine.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Mystery | Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Disney

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dieser verflixte Kater

Filming Locations:

Aiken, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$18,239,932 (USA) (20 June 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Simonds Productions, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the car chase, the Trans Am is not able to turn right, but when it skids around corners you can se the wheels turning right.

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Quotes

Mr. Flint: [through an intercom in his kitchen] Lizzie, are you milking the cow? My ulcer's doing a tango up here.

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Connections

References Charlie's Angels (1976)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Too Sexy"
Written by Fred Fairbrass (as Fred) and Richard Fairbrass and Rob Manzoli
Performed by Right Said Fred
Courtesy of Charisma Records America, Inc./Gut Reaction, Ltd.

User Reviews

Distorting a classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They made this movie modern, but they also made it more realistic! I am soooo sick of this "Reality TV" era. People seem to have forgotten that fantasy and exercising the imagination are the original reasons for and the very fabric of entertainment movies. For example, in the original, Patricia Randall and her older sister, Ingrid, were living alone at their house while their parents were traveling in Europe. The character of Ingrid was not even in this movie. Part of the fun of the original was that Ingrid Randall and Zeke Kelso were starting to fall in love. Their parents never called their daughters or anything. In real life, few parents would actually stay away that long at once, and even if they did, they would keep closer tabs on their girls. In the new version, Patricia Randall is an only child and her parents happen to be out of the house or just unaware of what is happening. Who cares whether or not it would happen in real life? That was the original point to making movies like that Darn Cat; so that people would get to see things happen the way that they WANT them to happen, not the way that they actually do happen. Christina Ricci also degraded the precocious but sweet character that Hayley Mills originated. Of course, the decay and crudity of the modern world had to be embedded into this movie that was assumed to be like the original; safe and fun for all ages! It was nice to see Dean Jones in the movie, but that is just about the only positive thing I can think of about this version. On top of everything else, the original version immortalized D.C. as a SIAMESE cat(No other kind of cat should have been used), and the rocky title song of this movie was JUNK! It was not at all worthy to be compared to the soothing, orchestrated title song in the original, written by Richard and Robert Sherman, the composers of music for many other Disney classics (e.g. The Parent Trap, Mary Poppins),and sung beautifully by Bobby Darin. What is wrong with today's producers? Do they not want their children to enjoy the same harmless but fun entertainment that helped make their own childhoods memorable? It is a good thing that the classics are being re-released on video and DVD because right now, the past seems to be the only place to find true family entertainment.