Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Jackson Booth-Millard I had heard about this film many times in the past, mainly because of the leading actress, I know it was one of the big hits of the decade, so I looked forward to watching it, based on the play by Tennessee Williams. Basically the patriarch of the Pollitt family, known affectionately as Big Daddy (Burl Ives) is gathering his family at the vast 28,000 acre East Mississippi plantation estate to celebrate his 65th birthday. Big Daddy's son Brick (Oscar BAFTA nominated Paul Newman) is alcoholic ex-football player, he has recently left his job as a sportscaster, he has spent the last few years drinking, and he ends up in crutches after trying to jump hurdles and breaking his leg. In his drunken state, Brick has also been resisting the affections of his wife, Maggie (Oscar BAFTA nominated Dame Elizabeth Taylor), he only agreed to remain married to her on the condition she does not pressure him for sex, their relationship has become turbulent. Big Daddy and Big Mama (Rebecca's Judith Anderson) arrive home from the hospital via their private plane, this is following a medical checkup for Big Daddy, they then gather the family at the house, including Brick and Maggie, Brick's brother Gooper (Jack Carson) and his plump wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood). Following dinner and conversations, Dr. Baugh (Larry Gates) meets privately with Brick and Gooper to tell the truth about their father's condition, in reality Big Daddy is dying of terminal colon cancer, and will likely be dead in a year. Brick tells Maggie of his father's inoperable disease, she is heartbroken, Maggie wants Brick to take an interest in his father, both for the chance to get his inheritance, and as his son, but Brick stubbornly refuses. As the evening winds down, Big Daddy talks with Brick in his room to explain his disdain of his alcoholic son's behaviour and demands t know why he is so stubborn, Maggie joins them and reveals an incident one night, that happened years ago, where Brick's best friend and football teammate Skipper committed suicide, she was jealous with Brick spending too much time with Skipper, she intended to seduce him, Brick blamed her for Skipper's death, but actually blames himself for not helping Skipper when he repeatedly called him. During an argument, Brick lets slip that Big Daddy is dying of cancer, the group are devastated, Big Daddy is shaken and retreats to the basement, while lawyer Gooper and his wife Mae argue with Big Mama about the family cotton business and Big Daddy's will. Brick joins his father in the basement, they confront each other, while surrounded by hundreds of hidden antiques and family possessions, Brick lashes out into a rage when the subject of his sporting career crops up, he starts smashing things, he eventually stops and breaks down sobbing, he and Big Daddy ultimately reconciliate. The rest of the family start to crumble under the pressure of the revelations, Big Mama steps up to be strong, Maggie gives her present to Big Daddy, which is the announcement that she is pregnant, Mae calls her a liar, although Brick and Big Daddy knows she is lying they defend her, Maggie and Brick reconcile and kiss, and it is implied they will have sex, so the baby lie will become true. Also starring Vaughn Taylor as Deacon Davis, Patty Ann Gerrity as Dixie Pollitt, Brian Corcoran as Boy Pollitt, Robert 'Rusty' Stevens as Sonny Pollitt, Hugh Corcoran as Buster Pollitt and Deborah Miller as Trixie Pollitt. Taylor and Newman were at the peak of their stardom, Taylor is beautiful and despite a slightly dodgy accent is fantastically outspoken, Newman is splendid as the irritated but righteous family member, and Ives, who I know best as the singer of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", is surprisingly good as the dying head of the family. You can tell it is based on a play, as the majority of the action takes place in one location, and all the atmosphere is brought about by the overheated dialogue and actions of the characters, the references to sex and homosexuality is watered down for the time, but the revelations and personal demons coming out get your attention, all in all it's a worthwhile drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director for Richard Brooks, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Cinematography, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film from any Source, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director. Very good!

Larissa Pierry (tangietangerine) There's a certain feel and boldness to this story that makes us simply sure we're talking about another wonderful work by Tennessee Williams. When I started watching the film, I had no idea it was based on his play, later on when I found out, it made total sense. He always seems to treat taboo questions in a very open and artistic manner (in a similar way to "A Streetcar Named Desire"). This one deals with a very strong patriarch figure inside the family, "Big Daddy" Pollitt, it's not only a pet name, it's also an indicative of his size and place inside the family tree. And he is a hard-headed figure, who imposes his opinions no matter what, a question of obeying the law.The main affected by this tyranny seems to be Paul Newman's character, Brick Pollitt. We meet him as a recovering alcoholic and ex-football player, in a most iconic scene beside Elizabeth Taylor. From the first moment we learn he has some kind of animosity towards his perfectly beautiful wife, the sexual undertones are present at all times. It's instigating, why shouldn't any perfectly normal and handsome husband feel sexually attracted to his perfectly beautiful wife? Hence the genius name of the movie, she feels like a cat on a hot tin roof. Those questions are soon brought to us through Big Daddy's (and the rest of the family) interference in their relationship. The scenes where he and Brick discuss over the motives for his bitterness over life are simply amazing. There's a mixture of sexual frustration, paternal repression, and some level of homosexual affection going on. There's also Big Daddy's health condition, he seems to be ill and his prognosis not so good. Brick in a way wishes him to die, at times it seems like that's the only way he could ever grab domain of his own life again.Although waved to us, full answers are never given (especially the nature of Brick's relationship with his late friend, plus Maggie's involvement in it), because we only have access to a small fraction of that family's feuds, when the (never harmonious) system is already in decadence. The end features an interesting turn of events, the father and son conflict finds some kind of relief, perhaps in the light of nostalgia and death approaching. And so does Brick's relationship with Maggie, the cat, the last scene boasts with lust as we watch their reconciliation as Paul Newman delivers the line: "Maggie, we're through with lies and liars in this house. Lock the door."

hicks46 The Film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie and Paul Newman as Brick is a family drama that revolves around a young couple that is in a marriage crisis. There are not so polite family squabbles between sisters in laws and a patriarch with a fatal medical condition that add tension to the family dynamic. While the family gathers to celebrate the birthday of the head of family Big Daddy Pollitt they also gather to fight over their inheritance. While the family is aware that Brick's and Maggie's marriage is in trouble because of Brick's alcoholism they also must face the reasons why Brick started drinking. This film directed by Richard Brooks has all the subtle southern family tension that Tennessee Williams is famous for in this and his works such as the screenplay A Streetcar Named Desire.

JohnHowardReid I tend to be a bit suspicious of pictures that came to our shores after a great deal of overseas pre-release ballyhoo. True, movies like "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" did take in a wonderful amount of money, but usually not enough to match their domestic gross or land them in our top twenty. Word-of-mouth usually turned against these movies too. Whilst they often chalked up respectable city seasons, they usually died in the suburbs and ended up playing to empty houses in rural areas. My latest estimate: Boring. A few sexual references may have titillated patrons in 1959, but they certainly don't keep this dreary, photographed-stage-play alive more than fifty years later. Despite sterling efforts by most of the players, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" emerges as a dull, slow-moving picture, peopled with dull, painstakingly torpid caricatures mouthing dull, tediously uninteresting dialogue. We don't care a hoot why Newman isn't shacking up with Taylor. She's such a relentlessly brow-beating, yakkety-yakking shrew, we don't blame him for taking refuge in the bottle.The photographer tries hard to make Liz look glamorous, but he has his work cut out for him. Brooks' relentlessly routine direction with its monotonous parade of gormless close-ups doesn't help either. Nor do the very limited production values perk up any interest. Except for a few minutes of location filming, this picture is unadventurously tied to the Hollywood sound stage. The movie's theatre origins are also all too obvious. And then, to add insult to injury, what M-G-M has done is to take the guts right out of it. Symbolism is used with all the subtlety of a meat cleaver. Music is no asset either. The composer missed a grand opportunity to send the whole thing up by playing "That Old Feeling" under Taylor's constant whinges and "Ida" under Anderson's melodramatics.Finally, the ending. After Newman's endless talk of the sins of "mendacity" (don't worry, the word is defined for the benefit of those picturegoers who are not walking dictionaries), this ridiculous, negating-everything-that-has-gone-before-cop-out of a conclusion really puts the lid on this Cat.