Catwoman (2004)

Director:

Pitof

Writers (WGA):

Bob Kane (characters)
Theresa Rebeck (story) ...

Release Date:

23 July 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Fantasy

Tagline:

CATch Her In IMAX

Plot:

A shy woman, endowed with the speed, reflexes, and senses of a cat, walks a thin line between criminal and hero, even as a detective doggedly pursues her, fascinated by both of her personas.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | One Word Title | Cat Woman | Animal In Title | Wtf

Awards:

5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Halle Berry	...	Patience Phillips - Catwoman
Benjamin Bratt	...	Tom Lone
Sharon Stone	...	Laurel Hedare
Lambert Wilson	...	George Hedare
Frances Conroy	...	Ophelia
Alex Borstein	...	Sally
Michael Massee	...	Armando
Byron Mann	...	Wesley
Kim Smith	...	Drina
Christopher Heyerdahl	...	Rocker
Peter Wingfield	...	Dr. Ivan Slavicky
Berend McKenzie	...	Lance
Chase Nelson-Murray	...	Kid #1
Manny Petruzzelli	...	Kid #2
Harley Reiner	...	Kid #3

Also Known As:

Untitled 'Batman Returns' Spin-off (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for action violence and some sensuality.

Runtime:

104 min | Canada:87 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (No. 41022) | Japan:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:10 | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Germany:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

4th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

43 cats were trained for the film. Halle Berry adopted one of them afterwards, an orange and white youngster named Play Dough.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the first burglar in the jewelry store smashes the glass cabinet, the glass is already shattered when his shotgun is still halfway in the air.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Catwoman: [voiceover] It all started on the day that I died. If there had been an obituary, it would have described the unremarkable life of an unremarkable woman, survived by no one. But there was no obituary, because the day that I died was also the day I started to live. But that comes later. This was my life. Days blended together, consistently ordinary, thanks to a job that was the practical version of my passion. I was supposed to be an artist by now. Instead, I was designing ads for beauty cream.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hard Luck (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Scandalous

Catwoman confession

I have a secret. A dark, troubling secret which I must unburden myself of. You see, gentle reader, I have seen Catwoman. And enjoyed it. I know, I know, it doesn't do to confess to such a thing in polite company. Suggest that I had taken leave of my senses and my only response is a shrug and a smile. Yet, I say, I enjoyed Catwoman. And not in that oh-so-ironic 'so bad it's good' way either. No, I liked it in the 'well I thought that was rather good, actually' kind of way. Which is particularly worrying, because if there is one thing that the world and his wife can agree on, it is that Catwoman is this year's shoe in for a golden turkey award (excepting 'Thunderbirds' and 'the Chronicles of Riddick' of course). I, however, found it to be a fun ride, full of good, schlocky moments, some nice action and boasting a confident visual style and a performance from Halle Berry which falls just the right side of parody. Oh, and the much-derided catsuit definitely gets my vote. I also thought the pairing with Benjamin Bratt worked a treat and Sharon Stone made a satisfying villain. In short, plenty to enjoy.

Naturally, until now, I have been careful to keep this strangely positive reaction to myself. In fact I was so disturbed by my feelings for the movie that I decided to see it again just to make sure I had not missed any of the innumerable horrors the reviews had promised. The second time, to my astonishment, it seemed an even better movie than the first. A few details had initially bothered me. While, for example, some of the special effects worked really well (the transformation scene, Catwoman sliding between two buildings, or tumbling out of one in graceful slo-mo), some didn't. But on second viewing I was surprised to find all these details seemed somehow better integrated into the movie as a whole. I am now thinking of seeing the movie for a third time, but in a decidedly more relaxed frame of mind. Well, I have heard of people that have seen Catwoman up to seven times. Are we all mad? Perhaps so. But I guess we might as well enjoy it. It would be such a shame not to.