Movie Type: Psychological Thriller, Supernatural Horror
Themes: Kids in Trouble, Infidelity
Main Cast: Drew Barrymore, James Woods, Alan King, Kenneth McMillan, Robert Hays
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Cat's Eye is an uneven, tepid trilogy of stories written by Stephen King connected by a cat which appears at the beginning of each story. The best story, and first episode, concerns chain-smoker Morrison (James Woods) who joins a stop-smoking group run by sadistic Dr. Monatti, played with great relish by Alan King. In the second episode, a gambler named Cressner (Kenneth McMillan) makes a bet with his wife's lover. In the third episode, a young girl (Drew Barrymore) is terrorized by a tiny troll. Although he wrote the screenplay, Stephen King was disappointed with the results and thought the interconnection of the stories using the cat clumsy and distracting. Directer Lewis Teague does an average job of directing the confusing and sometimes foolish script. However, James Woods' fine performance and the special effects by Jeff Jarvis make the film worth a view. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
Review
This darkly witty anthology lacks the polished narratives that graced Cujo and Carrie but still manages to offer plenty of mordant delights for the Stephen King aficionado. The film's disjointed framing device of a homeless cat weaving its way through the three stories (reportedly altered for the worse by post-production tampering) doesn't hold things together the way it should but the individual tales have plenty to offer in the way of chills and sly humor: "Quitters, Inc." mixes some wry commentary on the self-help movement into its tale of a mysterious treatment center, "The Ledge" overcomes its pro-forma 'life-and-death bet' scenario with witty dialogue and colorful characterizations and the final untitled tale has plenty of fun playing with the audience's ideas about superstitions. The appeal of Cat's Eye is further enhanced by inspired acting: Drew Barrymore makes for a plucky, likable young heroine in the finale and Robert Hays and Kenneth McMillan infuse their roles in "The Ledge" with a palpable sense of emotional desperation that gives the tale added depth. However, the big scene-stealers in the acting department are James Woods and Alan King, whose solid comic timing and willingness to act on the tale's darker conceits make "Quitters, Inc." a blackly comedic winner. Director Lewis Teague adds plenty of visual wit to the tales (avid Stephen King fans should look for all the film's references to his other works) and keeps things rolling at a speedy, suspenseful clip that is in keeping with the overall playful tone of the stories. In the end, some viewers might be thrown off by the odd framing device and the accent on humor in Cat's Eye but horror fans who can overlook these quirks will be rewarded with an amusing blend of chills and laughs. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Candy Clark - Sally Ann; James Naughton - Hugh; Tony Munafo - Junk; Mary D'Arcy - Cindy; Patricia Benson - Mrs. Milquetoast; Shelley Burch - Jerrilyn; Joe Cortese; Jess Doran - Albert; Charles S. Dutton - Dom; Russell Horton - Mr. Milquetoast; Patricia Kalember - Marcia; Court Miller - Mr. McCann; James Rebhorn - Drunk Businessman; Sal Richards - Westlake; Mike Starr - Ducky; Susan Hawes - Mrs. McCann; Jack Dillon - Janitor
Credit
Jeffrey S. Ginn - Art Director, Jeremy Ritzer - Casting, Howard Feuer - Casting, Milton Subotsky - Co-producer, Clifford Capone - Costume Designer, Kuki Lopez Rodero - First Assistant Director, Lewis Teague - Director, Scott Conrad - Editor, Alan Silvestri - Composer (Music Score), Sandi Duncan - Makeup, Giorgio Postiglione - Production Designer, Jack Cardiff - Cinematographer, Dino de Laurentiis - Producer, Martha Schumacher - Producer, Martha de Laurentiis - Producer, E.C. Chen - Set Designer, Jeff Jarvis - Special Effects, Glenn H. Randall, Jr. - Stunts, Stephen King - Screenwriter, Kirk Thatcher - Storyboard Artist, Stephen King - Short Story Author
The film consists of three stories linked together by a cat as he wanders the city, seeking out a little girl (Drew Barrymore) in order to save her from a supernatural danger. As he searches, the cat plays minor roles in the first two stories, witnessing some bizarre events: smoker Dick Morrison (James Woods) who is cured of his nicotine addiction by a Mafia-style organization; and gambler Johnny Norris (Robert Hays) forced by his lover's jealous husband to play a deadly game on the ledge of a tall building. (The segments are based on Quitters, Inc. and The Ledge respectively, short stories found in King's collection Night Shift). Drew Barrymore also plays a small part in the first story.
In the final story, Barrymore and the cat are the lead characters. The cat finally finds the girl, who welcomes him and names him 'General'. Unfortunately, General soon runs afoul of her cat-hating mother, who treacherously sends him to the local animal shelter to be put to sleep. Undaunted, the cat escapes and returns to the girl, where he confronts a miniature troll who wishes to steal her breath. After a mighty struggle, General saves the girl's life by toppling the troll into a large fan. After the father finds irrefutable evidence of the troll's existence (its dismembered arm and the gore covered fan), the girl's mother finally accepts the cat, and all seems to end well.
As an epilogue, the cat enters the girl's room while everyone is asleep. Like the troll, General climbs onto the bed and approaches her face and looks at her in the same manner. He then settles on the girl's chest and licks her face to wake her up. Seeing him, she smiles happily.
Movie notes
This was Barrymore's second film based on King's writing; she had previously appeared in Firestarter in 1984: both De Laurentiis productions, filmed in Wilmington NC.
The film contains some references to other Stephen King works, namely The Dead Zone, Cujo, Christine, and Pet Sematary (at the start, Cujo, the dog from the film of the same name, chases the cat and, during the chase, is almost run over by Christine, the car from the movie of the same name).
The film is darkly comical in tone, with little gore or profanity.
The film makes extensive use of a Police song "Every Breath You Take." Since the original version was too expensive for this low-budget production, a cover was used instead.
Frank Welker played both the voices of General the Cat and the Troll. One of the balloons in Amanda's room the Troll attempts to make its getaway with has Baby Kermit from Muppet Babies on them, whom Welker also voiced.
James Woods was a smoker in real life, and actually did quit smoking after shooting the movie. Alan King, also a smoker, died from lung cancer.
Sometimes They Come Back , another short story from Night Shift, was going to be adapted into the film, but producer Dino De Laurentiis said that the story itself would be stronger alone. The adaptation was made to a TV movie for CBS instead.
Awards
The film was nominated for the International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film in 1987. Drew Barrymore was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Starring Performance by a Young Actress in a Motion Picture in 1986.
Cat's Eye in popular culture
The device of a cat linking short stories in the comedy movie genre originated with the 1932 German horror film Unheimliche Geschichten produced by Gabriel Pascal.
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