Sunday, October 6, 2019

Delayed Reaction: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof


The Pitch: Look, I know Elizabeth Taylor's husband just died, but she'd be perfect for the role. If we give her, like, a month, is that enough time for her to get over it?

A southern family argues and conceals secrets about terminal illnesses, alcoholism, and pregnancy.

It's hard to be too negative about a movie that brought Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor together. I did spend most of the movie imagining this as a play*. That in and of itself I have no problem with. My problem was more with how obviously it toned down the material in the play. I mean, Paul Newman and his dead friend had some obviously homosexual overtones to it that the movie tried to tone down. I don't recall the phrases "lifelong bachelor" or "just roommates" ever being used, but they might as well have been. The ending certainly felt like it had been altered to be happier. Later, I wasn't surprised to confirm that all the stuff I suspected had been changed from the play had been. If you are in the mood for some movie star charisma, this has plenty of it, but I can't find much else to recommend about the movie.

*I didn't realize it was based on a play until I saw Tennessee Williams in the opening credits.
Here's the only note I made while watching the movie:
-The drinking game for this movie is definitely called "Big Daddy".

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend

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