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That Darn Cat More at IMDbPro »

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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:

That Darn Christina...

Author: koconnor-1 from Attleboro, MA
6 April 2001

I have an extremely open mind when it comes to Hollywood remaking, revisiting, creating a sequel to, or otherwise building upon an established film. Consider that mind slammed firmly shut!

The original "Darn Cat" featured a precocious feline surrounded by a village of humans (some funny, some scary, some just plain annoying). But the cat always remained at the center of the story, and the cat's actions are what propelled the whole thing forward. But here, the focus is on Patty Randall (Christina Ricci) and her FBI-rookie pal, Zeke Kelso (Doug E. Doug).

Apparently, the producers knew that they had an up-and-coming young starlet in their midst when they created this litter-box, because the focus is moved away from D.C. and onto Ricci's bratty and generally unlikeable Patty Randall. While no producer can be blamed for seeing talent and grabbing it (Two "Addams Family" films and "Casper the Friendly Ghost" had already gotten Ricci significant exposure!), they forgot that the film's title is "That Darn Cat"... not "That Darn Pat".

And it shows. We still have a minor league all-star cast, and we still have the FBI agent, the young girl and her cat as the heroes of the piece, but we cannot even see the villains (who provided so much of the menace in the original) and we see entirely too much of the assortment of freaks, geeks and throwaway nutcases that populate this burg.

I submit a challenge: Watch this one, then go back and watch the original. Then TRY to remember something significant that the cat in the new version did.

See, you're learning!

11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:

This is far from Spielberg's class

Author: Mattias Thuresson from Stockholm, Sweden
26 July 2002

I guess there are two ways to make a movie with kids as the intended audience. You can either say to yourself a) "Let's make a movie that kids today will love!" or b) "Let's make a movie that I would have loved when I was a kid!" The second approach explains why Steven Spielberg often make movies that appeal to a younger audience. Prime examples are E.T., The Goonies or Indiana Jones. That Darn Cat is an example of the first approach. You see these flat, unbelievable characters saying things that is supposed to be funny but isn't. The plot itself is enough for a ten minute short, but instead it goes on and on. And although I'm not a kid, I don't quite understand what in this movie is supposed to be fun for kids? The clumsy cops chased by a dog, the old lady with a tweety bird or Christina Ricci's sarcastic oneliners? One actor showed a spark of talent with his very acrobatic humour: Doug E. Doug playing the FBI agent.

6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:

That Darn Remake!

Author: MovieAddict2013 from UK
8 April 2003

"That Darn Cat" is a makeover of the Disney film with Haley Mills. This time around, the world is darker, the main character is darker...and the cat is darker.

Christina ("Addams Family," "Sleepy Hollow") Ricci is the main character for our story. She's a psychopathic, Gothic creature with black all around. She moves to a new town, finds a new cat, finds a new mystery, and solves it (I wasn't expecting that). Along the way is Thomas F. Wilson, better known as Biff from "Back to the Future," and Michael McKean--who does a bunch of nothing considering how funny the guy usually is.

"That Darn Cat" fails on a lot of levels. It's watchable, and probably should be seen once on TV, but I wouldn't go out of your way to see it.

Christina Ricci is fine as the title character; but I found that the whole moody, Gothic thing was a bit overdone--whether it was on the script like that or not, it was overbearing. They kept stressing to the audience, "This girl is dark," but I think I got it the first time.

Dean Jones, from the original "That Darn Cat," makes a few cameos in this flick. Whatever happened to him? The last I remember him in a film without being a cameo was "Beethoven"...

Thomas F. Wilson does seem to prove he can act out characters other than Biff, Griff and Buford Tannen, but if I were him I wouldn't quit the day job just yet--a film like this isn't going to get him back in the acting arena.

The film's gags don't exactly work all the time. Sometimes they work a little bit, but on the whole, this film is a pretty big mess that should only be seen on television when nothing good is on.

2/5 stars -

John Ulmer

P.S.--Be on the lookout for cameos galore, including "Cheers" man John Ratzenburger.

6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:

Darn beautiful Christina!

Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
18 April 2004

Disney Productions…I don't suppose I'm still a part of their target group, but I am complete Christina Ricci target group on my own! That was pretty much the only reason for me to see this film, since I'm not that interested in a cat ‘s adventures… The film is a remake of a 1965 film with the same name, also produced by the Disney Studio's. Christina is an angry and introvert teenage girl – Patti - who's loathes the boring, little town she's living in. Her mother is vain and super-polite, she has no friends and the only one she feels some affection for is her cat, J.D. This cat `witnesses' a kidnapping during one of her nightly escapades and Patti alarms the goofy FBI Agent Zeke (Doug E. Doug).

The film causes a surprisingly big amount of chuckles, since the little town and its inhabitants are so wondrously stereotypical. The grand finale – which involves a boisterous car chase through the town – will certainly impress and please the younger viewers. Some overall good acting as well. First and foremost by the lovely Christina Ricci, but also by a few familiar and respected side characters like George Dzundza (Basic Instinct), Peter Boyle (F.I.S.T) and Michael McKean (Airheads)… Doug E. Doug simply has to act like a Eddie Murphy or Chris Rock clone but he's pretty good in doing so. That Darn Cat is warmly recommend fun for young families and animal lovers.

7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:

Poor Cat...

Author: Massimo Zeri from Los Angeles, California
5 February 2005

I was 12 years old when I saw the original film (I lived in Italy and the Italian title was "FBI, OPERATION CAT!") That was a fun film and not just for kids. This awful remake it's pathetic even for a 5 year old! What possessed Disney to ruin their reputation and the memory of a lovely film I don't know and I just can't believe it. Even the title song in the original film (both original version and the dubbed Italian version) was extremely nice and creating the mood for the story. On this remake the title song is even worst than the movie itself. It was just nice to see Dean Jones even if for just a cameo appearance, he was a regular on the great old Disney's films. I cannot honestly see anything else positive in this remade movie.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

Christina Ricci is much too good for this terrible movie

Author: wmcbrine
16 November 2001

But I still enjoyed watching her, so I gave it a 3 instead of a 1. Her expressions are priceless. Some of the other cast members (e.g., Michael McKean) are really slumming, too. The cat himself is somewhat amusing. Aside from that, the movie is all cliche, culminating in a much-too-long car chase. (It's also at this point that the movie becomes unnecessarily crude, having been very "family" until then.)

5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:

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

Author: Emily Phinney (StarrySky123Inf) from Maine, USA
27 March 2003

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.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

Way Underrated

Author: kilorulez from United States
17 August 2008

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

First off, what people don't realize in this film is that it is an attempt by Disney to create an art flick that represents many television shows that were popular when the original movie came out. For instance, the reference to Monte Carlo is pointing to Herbie goes Bananas, in which the same car that the criminals in That Darn Cat was used in Monte Carlo. Also, the scene where the car jumps over the police car is a reference to the Dukes of Hazard county, who like to jump over Boss Hoggs (another rent-a-cop with a butch). These are but two of many references to old television shows and movies that Disney sought to represent in this underrated piece. Too bad they aimed at the wrong target audience. It has gone the way of Cabin Fever.

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Kids only

Author: Cedric_Catsuits from United Kingdom
20 May 2006

Chris Ricci sleepwalks her way through most of this, but then quickly takes on an air of boredom and disdain - much as I did when watching it. Without her this would be no more than a cheap kids' movie, but at least she does add an air of quality. There are few, if any, more visually striking and charismatic young actresses in the business.

There's not much wrong with it as long as you accept it for what it is - a cheap Disney re-make aimed at very undemanding children. I could watch Ricci all day so I'm probably oblivious to many of the movie's shortcomings, but unless you too are a Ricci fan, a cat-lover, or very small child, I doubt you will find this very entertaining.

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

This is why remakes always get a bad rap...

Author: moonspinner55 from las vegas, nv
15 January 2006

The Disney studios' remake of their own 1965 slapstick classic concerns a clever feline leading an F.B.I. agent to a kidnapped woman. Christina Ricci gives a churlish, let-me-outta-here performance as the cat's owner and the fed is played by Doug E. Doug, embarrassingly over-the-top, like a human cartoon. A pair of rich neurotics (Dyan Cannon and original "Cat" cast member Dean Jones) are funny and the formula-plot still has a little juice left in it, but the handling here is so heavy and lugubrious, and the cat is so lifeless, that it's strictly D.O.A.

* from ****

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