It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Very fine adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play that is both literate and entertaining. Being pretty faithful to the original this takes place only within a couple of room plus a small amount of exterior shooting but still hold the attention so well because of the wonderful dialogue and the performances. Burl Ives is as good as I have ever seen him and Paul Newman is great but it is Elizabeth Taylor that shines so brightly throughout. A little too brightly at times as to put some of the cast in the shade - a bit like Marilyn Monroe did on occasion. I purchased this on Blu-ray along with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and it occurs to me watching the Tennessee Williams that Edward Albee must have been influenced in the writing of his play after seeing this. The full horrors of the family history are gradually revealed with key moments prompting more revelations as we proceed, there is much emphasis on the leading lady having or not having a child and then there is the drinking. Both great pieces of writing from which two great films were made and so impressed was I with this that I wonder if 'Who's Afraid' will remain my favourite.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a story that people like to remake, but I don't really know why. In my opinion, it's not Tennessee Williams' masterpiece, and the supporting characters can get on the audience's nerves pretty quickly. The only reason I can imagine why everyone wants to take a crack at it is because the original is so beloved, other actors say to themselves, "I want to be Elizabeth Taylor!" or "I want to be Paul Newman!" If you've never seen a Tennessee Williams story, here's the skinny: It's set in the South, a key plot point is a sexual problem, there's an "old world" family drama, a hint of male homosexuality, and it's usually all during a very hot summer. Also, the movies are based off of plays, so there will be lots of monologues. I'm not dissing Tennessee Williams; I actually love many of his plays. I just wanted to let you know what to expect.In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a childless married couple is on the brink of divorce. They bicker and argue, all through the wife's family's visit. If you've heard of the characters Maggie the Cat or Big Daddy, they originate from this story. Obviously, with two beautiful people in the lead roles, this movie is enjoyable to watch, and the tension between them sparks off the screen. It might not end up being your favorite old movie, but it's worth a viewing.

I kept seeing the beginning and ending of this film throughout the 70s on the weekend afternoon movie (Saturday or Sunday), and it was one of those "boring adult movies" about stuff that only adults care about.And then when I finally saw all of it when I was in college, I still didn't like it a whole lot. Newman's character poking fun at Taylor's bragging about places she's never been, and Newman getting called out on his short comings, all makes for an interesting character analysis if you're into that sort of thing.I guess the thing I find frustrating about so called classic films is that there's a lot of social taboos that people want to tiptoe around. Me, I just didn't get what the heck these people were hung up about. Apparently the lead characters liked one another but couldn't come to terms with their character flaws. The best I, as a casual viewer, can comment is say; "Oh well.", then change the channel and hope that Star Trek or something with a little more action or brain power was on.And no matter how well a film is acted or shot, if the story material is taboo and yet still vapid (or vice versa) I just don't let it register. I think of all the films that danced around sex in all forms, love in all forms, and whatever else, or even a failing marriage, money and lawyers, and I think to myself "Are these people for real?" And that's kind of the sense I get with this film. It needed an alien invasion, a dog fight, and a few more action sequences to spice it up. With apologies to Tennessee Williams, I think writing about hidden taboos and acts thereof is absolutely the dumbest thing in the world. People make up social codes, and seeing Taylor and Newman navigate their way around them to get to the core of what they want is a real bother and bore.I felt like jumping in, slapping a pair of handcuffs on both, and shipping them off on a two month cruise. But that's just me.Well shot, made for a late 50s early 60s audience, when the nation was grappling with sex and race as hot domestic social issues, it gives a window into what the film industry was addressing as a placebo to keep people from throttling one another. Otherwise I'd pass it up. There are better films out there.Watch at your own risk.

Ohboy! Taylor, Ives and Newman in their prime. This was supposed to be a Netflix delight.On paper, as a literary vehicle, maybe. On screen it was cardboard stereotypes playing small personal melodramas. Sound quality very poor, alternately too loud and too soft, and only fully intelligible at high volume. Add to that monologues delivered way too rapidly to be understood, much less comprehended. This play would do better in a small theater with good acoustics. The movie would have done better with a smaller-than-life cast, playing down to the level of the pathetic characters instead of pumping them up into cartoons.A half hour was enough time spent sucking this bitter pill, and back in the mail whence it came.