Judi Dench has offered a blunt assessment of the 2019 Cats movie, calling the troubled musical adaptation a waste of goodwill and talent.
However, the actress remains considerably more charitable toward the people involved than some critics were when the film reached theaters.
Dench, who played Old Deuteronomy, reflects on the production in her forthcoming memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? Her comments acknowledge the disappointment while defending the intentions behind it.
Compared with the reviews published by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, her response amounts to handling the film with velvet gloves.
“I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film,” Dench writes.
Dench Laments Wasted Talent While Defending the Filmmakers
According to Variety, Dench expresses disappointment after noting how long composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had waited for the adaptation.
“What a waste of all that goodwill and talent,” she writes.
Her assessment comes with a significant qualification.
“I never saw the final cut so I can’t judge.”
Idris Elba in Cats – Universal Pictures, YouTube
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Rather than identifying someone to blame, Dench emphasizes the uncertainty involved in filmmaking. Performers and filmmakers can approach a project sincerely, work hard, and still produce something that fails to connect.
She also defends the intentions of those who made Cats, presenting its failure as a regrettable outcome rather than evidence of deliberate carelessness.
“There were no villains in the making of Cats,” Dench observed. “And if something isn’t a success, then there are always things you can say you’ve learnt.”
That distinction gives her comments a noticeably sympathetic tone. She mourns the effort that went into the production; the critics who actually watched it were considerably less protective.
Hollywood Trades Had Sharper Claws
Reviewing the film for Variety, Peter Debruge described it as:
“one of those once-in-a-blue-moon embarrassments that mars the résumés of great actors”
That is a considerably harsher judgment than disappointment over squandered potential. Debruge’s assessment suggested the finished product could become an unfortunate landmark in its performers’ careers.
In addition to Dench, the cast included Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson , James Corden, Jason Derulo, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, Francesca Hayward, and even Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift in Cats – Universal Pictures, YouTube
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At The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney questioned how the film’s visual approach survived the production process. His imagined intervention captured the problem succinctly:
“Wait a minute, those kitties are damn creepy!”
At the same time, he noted that the “entire cast is working hard here, and class acts like Dench and McKellen can preserve their dignity just about anywhere.”
Where Dench focused on the goodwill behind the production, Rooney questioned the judgment that allowed its unsettling feline designs to reach the screen. His criticism targeted a central creative choice, rather than merely suggesting the movie needed a little more polish.
Deadline Offered a More Welcoming Verdict
However, the trades were not unanimous.
Pete Hammond’s Deadline review offered a warmer response, calling the adaptation a “welcome treat this holiday season.” He also praised Taylor Swift’s contribution, providing a notable exception to the hostile reception.
Judi Dench in Cats – Universal Pictures, YouTube
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That dissent matters when revisiting the film’s reputation. Even an adaptation remembered for its critical drubbing found defenders who responded to its musical performances. Yet response to Cats from general audiences, not critics, was the final determination. It only brought in $78 million worldwide, and currently holds an 11% “Heinous” score on Criticless.
Even Dench’s willingness to defend her colleagues cannot soften her central assessment: Cats wasted the goodwill and talent behind it. Her wording is more diplomatic than the harshest reviews, but the disappointment is unmistakable.
What do you think of Judi Dench’s assessment of Cats? Sound off and let us know!
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