Kirsten Dunst shines brightly as Marion Davies, showing both a deeply conflicted young woman and a flirty party girl. She's never been better, even if she does wear a giant butterfly on her head. (Weird headpieces are a constant in this movie -- watch for Tilly's birdcage) Cary Elwes of "Princess Bride" returns as a desperate man who will go the extra mile to revive his career. Edward Herrmann plays a very intriguing Hearst, who is both obnoxious and tender, jealous and angry, controlling and generous. Eddie Izzard plays an insincere predator as Chaplin, who cares more about the conquest than about the woman; Joanna Lumley is rather underused, but she imbues all her scenes with a hilarious dry wit; Jennifer Tilly plays an irritating flibbertigibbet who has an unexpected cunning streak.

The dialogue is fast, dry and enjoyable -- one of my favorite lines was "Hollywood, a land just off the coast of the planet Earth." There's some sexual content (nothing too graphic) and a fair amount of profanity; teens who like Kirsten Dunst particularly will enjoy this, but younger kids will be bored silly.

This is not the movie that will appeal to the bubble-brained. But anyone who likes witty dialogue, sparkling costumes, a well-thought-out plotline and the shivering thrill of wondering if this was how it happened will think "Cat's Meow" is the cat's pajamas.

Kirsten Dunst shines brightly as Marion Davies, showing both a deeply conflicted young woman and a flirty party girl. She's never been better, even if she does wear a giant butterfly on her head. (Weird headpieces are a constant in this movie -- watch for Tilly's birdcage) Cary Elwes of "Princess Bride" returns as a desperate man who will go the extra mile to revive his career. Edward Herrmann plays a very intriguing Hearst, who is both obnoxious and tender, jealous and angry, controlling and generous. Eddie Izzard plays an insincere predator as Chaplin, who cares more about the conquest than about the woman; Joanna Lumley is rather underused, but she imbues all her scenes with a hilarious dry wit; Jennifer Tilly plays an irritating flibbertigibbet who has an unexpected cunning streak.

The dialogue is fast, dry and enjoyable -- one of my favorite lines was "Hollywood, a land just off the coast of the planet Earth." There's some sexual content (nothing too graphic) and a fair amount of profanity; teens who like Kirsten Dunst particularly will enjoy this, but younger kids will be bored silly.

This is not the movie that will appeal to the bubble-brained. But anyone who likes witty dialogue, sparkling costumes, a well-thought-out plotline and the shivering thrill of wondering if this was how it happened will think "Cat's Meow" is the cat's pajamas.

In the mid-1950s (when this movie is set), Watson's subversive notions do not make her popular with the staff, but they make her very popular with most of her students.

While there is no nudity and only a couple of "bad" words used, there are mature themes and lots of implied non-traditional sexual relationships, so parents should be aware.

While I am always impressed with Julia Roberts' acting ability, and even though she was the lead - I really think it will be Maggie Gyllenhall and newcomer Ginnifer Goodwin (Connie Baker) that will be most noted for their performances in this film - believable, flawless and truly stellar. Topher Grace ("That 70's Show," "Traffic") makes another impressive (albeit small) appearance into a substantial film, ironically the love interest of Julia Stiles as was the case in "Traffic" and Tori Amos has a brief singing role.

In the end, this is a sweet, feel-good movie peppered with some bitter-sweet moments. Make sure you stay for the credits featuring old film reels of 1950s women in action.

There are many reasons to buy this film; Coppola's understanding of how boys and girls interact, and her sure touch with their issues about sexuality; Kirsten Dunst's best performance to date, conveying both sweetness, and barely suppressed erotic desire; Kathleen Turner's breakthrough as a character actress, sacrificing her glamorous persona for a stocky and frumpy matron. There are some excellent cameos, as well, particularly Danny DeVito as a clueless psychiatrist, Scott Glenn as a family priest who offers platitudes instead of comfort, and Michael Paré as an older Tripp, reminiscing about Lux, and their 'love'.

This is a very special film, one that you will not soon forget! I highly recommend it!

Nicole, who at first seems to be just a wild, rebellious brat, turns out to be far deeper and more emotionally unsettled than one would ever imagine. Carlos' humble roots and burning ambition bring the relationship to a breaking point when he has to decide between Nicole and his shot at Annapolis. Stockwell takes what could have been a trite teen romance and turns it into an engaging character study. While his pace is perhaps a bit too deliberate and inclusive, his sensitive treatment of the motivation of the characters and his style of unraveling their psyches slowly before our eyes makes for great drama. This film is full of "ahah" moments, where you find yourself re-evaluating the characters as some new piece of information is revealed.

Kirsten Dunst has had an active career, appearing in over twenty films before the age of twenty (which age she will attain in April 2002). This is by far her best performance, helped by the fact that it is the most complex character she has ever played. There was a hint that her ability extended beyond the superficial teen characters she normally plays in the film "Virgin Suicides", where she played a sullen, bad girl with some serious problems. As Nicole in this film, she shows us that she has extraordinary range. She really cuts loose with the character, taking her to exhilarating and uninhibited highs as well as crashing, depression ridden lows. Though this is a minor film from a box office perspective, this performance should get the attention of casting directors and open the door for her to get bigger, more serious parts. Jay Hernandez shows promise, although he seems a little wooden in this film. His great strength (other than his obvious good looks) is his sincerity. He comes across as if he means every word he says.

I was going crazy trying to figure out where I had seen Bruce Davidson (who played Tom Oakley) before. He played Willard in the film of the same name (1971) about a sociopathic kid who befriended rats and used them to attack his enemies. Davidson gives a good performance here as Nicole's congressman father, particularly in the touching scene at the end.

Herman Osario, Miguel Castro and Tommy De La Cruz were all cast for their first film in open auditions from thousands of Latino high school students. They provide the film with some of its lighter moments as Carlos' friends, and they all give fantastic performances, basically being themselves. Taryn Manning rounds out the cast as Nicole's best friend and does a fine job of playing the wild thing.

I liked this film more for the drama than the romance. I rated it an 8/10. Kirsten Dunst takes a quantum leap with this performance. It is not for impatient viewers or those who despise slushy romances. However, for those who like a good character study with emotionally charged content and complex characters it is well worth a look.