User reviews

I saw this as part of an Odeon Screen unseen showing so was completely and literally in the dark about what I was going to see. Well I was pleasantly surprised. It's a tale about 20 year old Margot and her bouncing around the excitement and misunderstandings of relationships and how communication, expectation and reality can all blow things up.

There were times whenn I expected the story to go down a sinister route but then was I being manipulated by the opening quote?

Worth your time. This is just a privileged view into a 20 year Old's life which reverberated with me on many levels. If you approach this as just that then you won't be disappointed.

Premiered at Sundance, Cat Person is based on the viral New Yorker short story of the same name, as a college student played by Emilia Jones navigating a new romance, red flags, and horrifying turns. Tonally, this film is unsettling from the beginning, as Margot's mind wavers between fantasy and foresight, reading the tea leaves of text messages, favorite movies, and behaviors to determine if a new love interest is a quirky boyfriend or a dangerous threat. One particular scene is extraordinarily chilling, first uncomfortably comically to viscerally frightening themes about consent and sex that I've never seen in film. The final quarter of the film amplifies the tone beyond the rest of the film, ending awkwardly, which prompts me to wonder how it aligns with the story version.

I went into this movie expecting this crime story with a huge plot twist and it wasn't even close. I wasn't exactly disappointed though because I actually enjoyed most of the movie. It was just the ending that let it down for me.

So the first half of the movie I totally understand.. as a female who dated for years before settling down I found myself laughing at the awkward situations the movie reminded me of. There is this fear, stress and complete awkwardness to modern dating. The movie captured that spot on. I can't speak for other women but I found myself relating completely to both of the main characters.

When it got to the end though I felt like there was just this desperation to make the movie end on a shocking note but it just didn't fit the rest of the movie. Id of rated it higher if they went their separate ways and learn from the mistakes they made.

(P. S Robert was definitely on the spectrum and Margot's super "woke" best friend really annoyed me.)

Romance, both sides seek it, but often there are very different ideas about what that means.

The movie explores pitfalls of idealisation of the other person, placing looks above genuine connection and feelings as well as double standards and jumping to conclusions without trying to deeply understand another person.

It is also accurately portrayed how people read more into text messages than the sender intends both positively and other times negatively perceiving a neutral or opposite intent, or just making it wildly colourful.

Although the characters are somewhat stereotypical and extreme the situations are not far from everyday life, so they are relatable.

We are given a relatively good background on why Margot is seeking an older partner and why she goas along with uncomfortable situations.

The movie is primarily told from the female perspective, but it balances it with some insights into quirky male motives and true intentions.

I (as a male) did not feel that the feminist agenda was pushed too far, the reviews which claim that this is a movie just to blame males is highly inaccurate.

There is a glimpse into a therapy session and obviously both characters struggle with deep unresolved mental health issues, which ultimately helps to fuel the escalation of violence.

Overall its an enjoyable movie and I did not find it too predictable and I certainly did not expect it to answer all the questions it posed. I also did not expect to side with one character or the other like another review says, you do not always have to take sides.

There are some metaphors in the movie and some of the scenes are just portrays of imagination which could have been connected a bit more smoothly.

It would have been nice to add a more neutral external perspective like the therapy session on top of the two extreme sides with the occasional grounding (though biased) view of the friend.

It would have also helped to better understand the male character by providing a similar family background story to the female character.

Cat Person, the 2023 film adaptation of Kristen Roupenian's viral New Yorker short story, claws its way onto the screen with a promising premise: exploring the awkward, unsettling, and sometimes dangerous landscape of modern dating. Unfortunately, despite stellar performances and flashes of brilliance, the film ultimately stumbles, failing to recapture the potent ambiguity and unsettling dread that resonated with so many readers.

Margot, a college student, finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Robert, an older man who works at the local movie theatre. Their initial interactions via text are playful and flirty, but when they finally meet in person, the sparks don't quite fly. A nagging unease settles in, hinting at something darker beneath Robert's charming facade.

Director Susanna Fogel expertly navigates the film's early scenes, capturing the awkward tension and anxieties that plague young love. Emilia Jones delivers a nuanced performance as Margot, portraying her vulnerability and growing unease with authenticity. Nicholas Braun, however, struggles to fully inhabit the enigmatic Robert, leaving the character feeling somewhat opaque and underdeveloped.

The visual storytelling in the movie is its strongest point. Cinematographer Manuel Billeter paints a stark portrait of Margot's emotional world, using tight close-ups and muted colour palettes to emphasise her growing isolation and fear. The score, a blend of unsettling electronic beats and melancholic piano melodies, further amplifies the film's unsettling mood.

However, as the film progresses past the point at which the original story ends, the plot begins to unravel. The narrative takes a jarring turn, veering away from the ambiguity and suspense that characterised the short story and instead opting for a more conventional, even melodramatic, thriller plot. This shift in tone feels jarring and ultimately undermines the film's emotional core.

Cat Person is a film with undeniable potential. It boasts strong performances, particularly from Jones, and a visually striking aesthetic. However, those who have read the original story may be disappointed with its failure to capture the essence of the original and its jarring tonal shift, ultimately leaving it feeling like a missed opportunity.

While not a complete failure, Cat Person is best suited for fans of the original short story or those seeking a darkly comedic thriller. For those looking for a more faithful adaptation or a deeply unsettling exploration of modern dating, this film may not be the cat's meow.

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"Cat Person" is a story about the brief relationship between a twenty-year-old sophomore college student Margot, and an older man Robert, who is a regular at the movie theater where Margot works. Based on a short story, Cat Person clearly is portraying about online dating and the uses of modern technology in our life time. While there are some good camerawork throughout the entire film, the film was unbearable as it's filled with cliche tropes and an unlikeable character.

Director Susanna Fogel seems to struggle with the direction as the film couldn't really understand what it wants to be. Whether it wants to be a horror, thriller, dark comedy or such, the film relies on an uneven tone, extremely predictable narrative and poorly written characters. The character of Margot is unlikeable and extremely annoying alongside with the other characters. The dialogue that was spoken from the cast members felt fake and laughable as if I was watching a Dhar Mann project. None of the performances was good and even Isabella Rossellini wasn't able to save the film from falling apart.

The production felt cheap, the soundtrack was annoying and Fogel's direction was quite all over the place. The film doesn't do much to offer anything special. It takes what could have been an interesting concept about satirical look on online dating and instead turns into a dull and annoying mess. Actor Emilia Jones has been in some good films before but unfortunately she didn't do much to offer anything special for this movie. It was one of the weaker films I had seen at Sundance.

Rating: D.

On multiple occasions, while watching this movie, I asked myself where they were going with this and if it really made sense, and then in the end, I would give it a resounding YES. The writing is a top-notch non-tradition take on the thriller genre. It seems like it's this innocuous modern film making a mess at first look; the whole process is giving a wink to the audience, and my interpretation was that if you're a male watching for his and you're getting frustrated, then you need to finish the whole thing because it's a wink to The Y chromosomes in the audience.

Emilia Jones Is the female lead; I remembered her from "Lock and Key," a forgettable role; as an actress, she doesn't emote enough for my purposes. She always looks a little bit lost and depressed. Maybe that's just the roles she's taking or the condition of her generation. Likability isn't a takeaway in this performance; her best friend/ roommate is painful to watch; every role I've seen this actress is in one word...Insufferable!

Nicholas Braun, this is the only thing I've ever seen him in besides his succession role. GREG was my favorite character on the show in many ways. This very authentic, quirky, dry sense of humor will take him a long way in this business. He will be a working character actor, AKA William H Macy or John C Reilly mold. It was interesting to see him in a different type of role. Though it wasn't all that different from Greg's season of succession, it was a departure. I liked that his character was a cinephile, a massive Harrison Ford fan, which I can identify with because I grew up being a significant fan of his until he destroyed his career. The emasculation and killing of all the beloved characters that made him a legend was a travesty.

I'm looking forward to Braun's next role. Hopefully, it'll be a complete departure from Greg, but this was a step in the right direction.

Overall, I was pleased with this film; sometimes, I don't like many "fantasy thinking setup shots" constantly using that trope because it's typically a cop-out, but it's essential in the context of this story. It's nice that the Genre that has been Done to Death has a fresh voice-Cat Person's Director Susana Fogel.

It seems like a lot of people don't realize that this is a movie adaptation of the short story "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian in the New Yorker a few years ago. The short story was fantastic, one of the best things I've ever read. Despite knowing that generally film adaptations of literature often leave much to be desired, I was still excited to see this movie. Well, unfortunately this was no exception. The movie is at its best when it uses lines and scenes directly from the story. It fails miserably with all the other stuff the writers and directors put in to "fill out" the rest of the story. It essentially made the story very confusing and convoluted, and possibly even changed the original message and meaning that was given in the short story (what even WAS that last scene??!!) Overall pretty disappointed and fans of the short story should probably stay away from this movie.

College student Margot meets and flirts with a guy a few years older than her at her place of work, a cinema. The pair soon start a deep connection, via text, but reality doesn't quite match up to fantasy.

There are several meanings of the term cat person, one meaning I wasn't aware of, someone who can't differentiate between real life sex and porn.

First of all, getting to see this film proved to be something of a challenge, I had to travel over an hour, as it was never shown locally, a real shame, this film is well worth seeing.

Very intriguing, suspenseful, and pretty original, I can't think of many films like it. It's a film of two halves, there's comes a point where there's a real switch up, it goes up several gears.

Now, most of the reviews I've read follow the same sort of view, poor Margot, terrible and predatory man, I'd just like to give a different view point.

First off, Margot made most of the running, bombarding Robert with promises, without even truly knowing him, she got what she thought she wanted out if him, then discarded him when she got bored, maybe it's a generational thing.

The film doesn't actually make out that Robert is the guilty party, there's one scene in particularly where Margot realises, she got it wrong.

Had something happened to Margot in her past? Was she reliving a past trauma through him?

Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun are both excellent, and credit for his casting, I don't mean this in a derogatory way, but he's not a muscular jock or a male model, he's a good looking guy next door, it made the story all the more believable.

That music, fire! So many great tunes, years since I last heard Sophie B. Hawkins.

Is it a film about consent, life choices, or using people? You decide.

Excellent, 8/10.

This was not a bad film. It was acted well and had enough build up to make it a successful thrilla. Emilia Jones plays Margot, a college student working at a theatre. She sees this guy one day and makes a comment about red vines. She sees him again one thing leads to another and they date. But of course theres something off about Robert and his not the charming guy that Margot hoped he was. What's with these teens falling for older men. I think it's called the fifty shades effect. Before Margot knows it everything goes upside down and now her life could be in danger. Overall it's a good film made from a short and I'm glad Netflix got the rights to it.

There were some dark comedy moments to start things off, but the story was focused too much on social commentary as opposed to being an exciting feature. It was painfully boring and all we saw were two unstable people entering into an ill advised relationship.

It tried to explore the whole "men are sinister" while "women are naive and powerless" diegesis. We are only limited on this woman's perception of this man and can't be certain if it reflects reality. And of course he's 13 years older than she is, so there's a power struggle in play. Who are we to support in this toxic relationship? I felt both of them were flawed and deceptive. She seemed infatuated with the idea of who this man was, and was eventually disappointed when he couldn't satisfy her sexual needs. And he couldn't take the hint and became unhinged. Seems like a common obstacle for everyday humans.

So basically I was stumped the whole way through.

I liked this movie, but I feel they could have done so much more with it.

The first part of the movie is the constant texting back and forth, then there's the date and then basically nothing happens and makes you wonder when they're going to "drop" the moment that the audience realizes he's either a killer or has women locked up in his basement.

The movie starts of good but I feel like they've missed such a good opportunity to do something else with it.

The movie ends and I feel as a viewer I still kind of wonder what actually happened and what exactly the movie was about.

Would I recommend this to someone? I think so. I would mention that this was a pretty good movie but it starts of good and then it sorts of goes nowhere I suppose?

The cultural conversation surrounding human decency in the dating and relationship sphere have been in the spotlight for the past decade. Cat Person seeks to crack this conversation wide open in a fictional setting with characters that are meant to portray people who sit on every side of the divisive topics covered in the film. No matter what side of the fence you sit, chances are you will hear something you've heard before.

I believe there is a lot that this film does right. There is a chemistry between the cast members that feels organic and genuine, and the use of awkwardness and the lack of chemistry between our male and female leads are things I consider chemistry in itself. The cringe is palpable, the creepy-crawly feeling is tantalizing, and the world built around our characters feels alive.

I'm not sure how I feel about the rhythm of this film. The pacing is a bumpy, unkempt road that knocks this film's core message loose from its axle. There is so much happening, yet nothing seems to find closure. The tone is an ever shifting mess, and the more tense moments feel flavorless and plain.

Cat Person certainly had a lot to say, no matter your stance on its social and political themes. I only wish that a movie with a premise such as this was executed with more memorable craft.