Amazon.com: Written and directed by Cédric Klapisch, this delightful French film from 1997 is less interested in its plot--about a young Parisian woman named Chloé (Garance Clabel) who is searching for her lost cat--than it is in her response to the sudden predicament of being truly alone. Chloe's life is hardly thrilling, and romance has proven elusive, so when her cat disappears while she's away on a brief vacation, it's a minor crisis that reminds Chloé of just how lonely she is, and her exhaustive search for the cat begins. She recruits her neighbors and a network of women who know every cat in the district where she lives. But When the Cat's Away is really about the rhythms of Chloé's daily life, the lives of the people around her, and the changing identity of the neighborhood as it undergoes renovation. Like the films of Eric Rohmer, this film is filled with casual observation and quiet revelations of character. It hardly seems like a film at all, but rather a privileged glimpse into the lives of very real people whom we come to know and admire, and in whom we recognize parts of ourselves. --Jeff Shannon
Careful if you don't speak French I can't comment on the movie since I have not watched it. But I did purchase this from the Amazon France site since it was not available here last year. No English subtitles on mine. So if you don't speak French, this DVD may not be so great.
Girl finds village in the big city It takes a village to find a cat. Or rather, it takes a missing cat to find a village. This delightful movie chronicles an awkward but beautiful French girl's journey through her Parisian working class neighborhood in search of her pet. She moves from the isolation of her apartment where she moons dreamily over her feline friend out into a world of odd and amusing characters.
Critics have compared "When the Cat's Away" unfavorably to "Friends," the TV sitcom where a beautiful group of young New Yorkers becomes a 'found family.' Chloe sans cat also finds a family with bonds closer than blood in this story line as funny as "Friends" but less slick and more real.
Watch this movie with your pre-teen daughter for one satisfying bonding experience (one sexual scene without X-rated visuals makes casual encounters look most unappealing). I bought it for a chick flick group--perhaps not meaty enough for an adult evening, but we all appreciated its sweetness nevertheless.
A Miniature Masterpiece This is a wonderful film, which succeeds on so many levels. Garence Clabel stars as "Chloe", a young Parisian trying to make it in the hip world as a makeup artist on high fashion photoshoots. She is truly lonely as she haunts the "in" spots with their never-ending stream of shallow, empty people. At the same time, she is totally oblivious to her very ordinary, if diverse, neighbors in the working-class Parisian neighborhood where she lives. About to leave on a vacation, Chloe's roommate suddenly reneges on his promise to take care of her cat, "Gris-Gris", while she is gone. In desperation, she turns to an elderly neighborhood woman, recommended by one of her faceless neighbors, who agrees to watch her cat. Alas, while Chloe is gone, Gris-Gris escapes. When she returns, she is horrified to find out that her one real companion in the world is missing, and she embarks upon a mission to find it. Of necessity, this causes Chloe to get to know her neighborhood and her neighbors, many of whom assist her in her search effort. As a result, she finally interacts with real, rather than vacuous, people and gets to know them. It is a voyage of discovery for Chloe, and, although there are bumps along the way, it turns into a very positive experience. While Chloe's personal journey continues, the director also shows us, in a subtle, non-preachy way, how her neighborhood is changing, and threatened by, gentrification. The ending of the movie is remarkable, and one I never tire of seeing. This is the kind of movie that the French make better than anyone else: A small, seemingly-inconsequential story about an average, seemingly-inconsequential person, which writer-director Cedric Klapisch makes into an exquisite, tiny masterpiece.
Fine atmosphere, but little else When Chloe (Garance Clavel) goes on vacation, her cat goes missing. This slight plot provides our window into the world of a modern young Parisian woman and the neighborhood she inhabits. This film gets high marks for atmosphere, but I wanted more than that. I did not find the heroine to be as charming as many other reviewers have. On the contrary, I thought she was rather self-involved and shallow. At one point, she can't even be troubled to have a five-minute phone conversation with one of the network of old ladies who is helping to search for her cat and who is clearly calling out of sheer loneliness. At the end of the film, I didn't feel like she had changed or learned anything, leaving me to wonder why I had been watching her for the past two hours. I was touched by the character of Djamel (Zinedine Soualem), the sad, slow-witted man who develops a crush on Chloe./
One of my most favorite movies ever This is such a wonderful portrait of Modern Paris, and a peep inside a great character's life. I needed to have this to watch on rainy (or sunny for that matter) days. Highly recommended especially if you like movies shot in Paris, movies about women coming of age, and films like Amelie. ENJOY!
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
