★★★ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

[Gino: 3.0]

First, I got this from the library. It was one of those DVDs with widescreen on one side and "standard" on the other. Some sick bastard put security stickers on the widescreen side instead of the cropped one... Oh well, I survived. In general this is a fairly emotional and somewhat succesful family drama. However, I did find the plantation setting, etc. a little distracting. Paul Newman is a lot more hunky than I was aware. His character seems detestable, but somehow by the end you have some pity for him. He's pretty good. Elizabeth Taylor is fine, but I wasn't terribly impressed by her. The mother, played by Judith Anderson was actually quite good once you think about it. I am a sucker for performances of women who try to hold families together by attempting to gloss over serious trouble, and then cracks in their veneer show through. Anyway, this movie was fine, but if you want a better family-with-serious-problems film, might I suggest Monsoon Wedding?