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What’s with all the movies whose titles make them seem like kid-friendly animal flicks (you know, like Snakes on a Plane) until you plunk down your $12.50 only to discover that you’ve been fooled? (It’s enough to make you want to Black Snake Moan. Ugh, sorry.) Thanks to Cinematical for these animal movies that ain’t:
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
What It’s Not About: A tabby trapped on top of a house … in the summer
What It Is About: A Southern family in crisis
What Does the Animal Represent? Maggie “The Cat” Pollitt (Elizabeth Taylor), who tells her neglectful husband, “You know what I feel like? I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof.” (Ever the romantic, he replies, “Then jump off the roof, Maggie. Jump off it.”)
Raging Bull
What It’s Not About: The running of the bulls in Pamplona, from the bull’s point of view
What It Is About: The rise and fall of boxer Jake LaMotta
What Does the Animal Represent? LaMotta. He’s an angry guy.
The Squid and the Whale
What It’s Not About: An unlikely under-the-sea romance
What It Is About: A dysfunctional family living in Brooklyn
What Does the Animal Represent? The exhibit of a giant squid fighting a whale at the American Museum of Natural History (so yes, this one does have animals in it — but not until the very last scene. Plus they’re dead.)
The Pink Panther (1963)
What It’s Not About: A wildcat with fabulous fashion sense
What It Is About: A bumbling French detective in search of a notorious jewel thief
What Does the Animal Represent? A valuable diamond with a flaw that resembles a leaping (pink) panther.
Elephant
What It’s Not About: A day in the life of Babar
What It Is About: Two students go on a shooting spree at an Oregon high school
What Does the Animal Represent? Gus Van Sant took the title from a British film about violence in Northern Ireland, by director Alan Clarke — who in term was alluding to the phrase “elephant in the room,” i.e., a problem no one wants to talk about.
12 Monkeys
What It’s Not About: A bunch of simians serving on jury duty. Or banging away on typewriters.
What It Is About: A convict, hoping to earn parole, who travels back in time to 1990 to stop a devastating plague
What Does the Animal Represent? A mysterious animal rights group called The Army of the Twelve Monkeys, which is wrongly accused of terrorism.
Did we miss any? (Ha.) What are some of your favorites?
Comments (23)
Comment
As for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF — I saw it when I was a child, younger than 10. [Yes, I am that old] at the theater. Went to movies every week. Parents got free time. Kid out of the house! All I remembered of the movie, until I was an adult, was the kids in the movie putting their hands in the big tubs of ice cream! LOL.
The sexual tension (cat is jumpy on that roof!) never made it into my mind. Little did I understand Maggie was wanting her husband bad and so was jumpy and horny. And poor Biff — ***SPOILER ALERT*** — he only wanted his football buddies.
Gotta love that Tennessee Williams! Oh what he could do with plays and movies if he were writing today!
I’m horny, Biff — horny as an ol alley cat ….
posted by WizardBoy on 3-22-2007 at 2:50 pm
My personal favorite is “True Romance”, Which has a lot more to do with shootouts and prostitutes than romance, quite frankly. Fool your girlfriend by letting her pick the movie, and enjoy!
posted by Rusty on 3-22-2007 at 3:05 pm
“The Lion In Winter”:
What It’s Not About: Simba coming in from the cold.
What It Is About: King Henry and his Queen, Elinor of Aquitaine and their fight over which of their 3 sons will get the throne when Henry dies.
What Does the Animal Represent? Henry nearing what is the winter of his life but still able to roar and rule his “pride”.
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 3-22-2007 at 3:07 pm
“To Kill A Mockingbird”
What it’s not about- An anti-avian with an arsenal of slingshots on a death hunt.
What it is about- A man simultaneously instilling good down-home morals in his children and defending a black man accused of rape in the South.
What the animal represents- Innocence and purity.
posted by Johnny Cat on 3-22-2007 at 5:16 pm
(not an animal one but the simpsons reference makes me laugh)
“Naked Lunch”
“I can think of at least 2 things wrong with the name of that movie” - Nelson
posted by opototopo on 3-22-2007 at 5:41 pm
Un-related…
“Turner and Hooch” was not porn movie like I thought…
posted by darren on 3-22-2007 at 5:54 pm
I can think of one more: The Truth About Cats & Dogs. It has nothing whatsoever to do with our domestic furry friends. It’s actually about an unconfident radio talk show host named Abby who helps a man with his pet troubles. When he goes in one day to meet her, he sees her model friend Noelle instead, and assumes it’s her. Abby goes along with it, as she is too self-conscious about her attractiveness (well, lack of it). Noelle also goes along with it because she is sick of being with “loser” boyfriends.
If I had to take a guess I’d say the cats and dogs represent opposites. Just a hunch though, I haven’t watched the movie since it came out.
posted by Eva on 3-22-2007 at 6:34 pm
How about Mozart and the Whale? It’s actually a love story about two people with Asperger’s.
posted by Sammy on 3-22-2007 at 11:53 pm
I can’t believe no one has thrown out “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”
What a classic! Strippers! On a killing spree! Now that’s some fine family entertainment. (You know, if you are the Manson family.)
posted by Allison on 3-23-2007 at 4:58 am
Dog Day Afternoon
Horsefeathers
Bird
Elephant Walk
Ice Station Zebra
posted by WizardBoy on 3-23-2007 at 7:48 am
Bull Durham
The Falcon and the Snowman
posted by GoBowling on 3-23-2007 at 10:09 am
Here’s one that does have an animal in it, but the title is totally misleading about the animal.
“The Courage of Lassie” is about a young girl whose collie winds up a service dog in WWII. It comes home traumatized and she must rehabilitate it. Here’s the kickers: the title of the movie is “The Courage of Lassie”; the dog in the movie is the same dog that was in several other Lassie movies. So you might be thinking that maybe the dog’s name is, oh, say, Lassie. Nope, it’s Bill.
posted by Anthony on 3-23-2007 at 10:48 am
Are you kidding me? Misleading animal titles, and no “Duck Soup?” (The title has absolutely nothing to do with the film, other than the opening credits showing ducks in a pot of boiling water. The joke Groucho made about it was, “Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you’ll duck soup the rest of your life.”)
posted by Sillstaw on 3-23-2007 at 1:10 pm
GoBowling already mentions this one, but I saw “The Falcon and the Snowman” when I was nine, with my sister who is twelve years older, and I really thought we were going to a children’s movie, but a kid’s movie is certainly is not.
posted by Manzanita on 3-24-2007 at 5:50 pm
“Birdcage” - no birds at all, but there were a couple of feather boas - and lots of laughs! Now if I could only find my “Pirin” tablets…
posted by Rob O. on 3-25-2007 at 7:47 am
Day of the Jackal (the original, please!)
anything starring Peter Coyote
Akeelah and the Bee
Junebug
Big Fish
The Butterfly Effect
Swimming with Sharks
posted by Karen Wise on 9-4-2007 at 9:36 am
big fish had a big fish in it.
posted by Lindsay A. on 9-4-2007 at 8:16 pm
Dancing with Wolves (not really for kids but there are wolves…no ones really dancing with them and it’s very long)
Crocodile Dundee (not for kids at the time…there are a couple of crocodiles but its more about a bushman…his lady…and a big bad city)
posted by News Worthy on 9-7-2007 at 5:37 am
#2 - I dont think you have it right. “True Romance” is very much about Romance. Clarence and Alabama are very much so in love, and although there are some great action and “guy” scenes, the plot is based upon two people from completely different circumstances, with majoe problems, meeting and fallin in love. When Alabama gets all meessed up by Gandolifini, she is so in love that she takes the beating without ever giving up Clarence. Just as Clarence stands up to Vincenzo for her.
awe. Great movie!
posted by chloe on 9-7-2007 at 7:39 am
The Squid and the Whale
What it’s not about: A squid and a whale who become fast friends.
What it is about: A family going through a traumatic and messed-up divorce.
What did the animal(s) represent?: The fighting parents, I assumed.
posted by Becky Travis on 9-7-2007 at 1:29 pm
Personally, I was dissapointed by “must love dogs”. It did feature some dog related stuff, but was more a romance
posted by Korin on 9-9-2007 at 10:22 am
First, Thanks chloe, the “True Romance” comment really bothered me.
Now, one of my favorites “Three Days of the Condor”
What about “A Fish Called Wanda?” Though there was the fish, it only had a bit part.
posted by Mike on 9-9-2007 at 11:12 pm
Where Eagles Dare!!!
classic…allies good….nazis bad stuff!
posted by Vikram on 9-10-2007 at 2:57 am