Synopsis
The story of a rabbi and his talking cat, a sharp-tongued feline philosopher brimming with scathing humor and a less than pure love for the rabbi's teenage daughter.
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Cast
- François MorelThe Cat (voice)
- Hafsia HerziZlabya, the Rabbi's Daughter (voice)
- Maurice BénichouThe Rabbi (voice)
- Jean-Pierre KalfonMalka of the Lions (voice)
- Daniel CohenThe Rabbi's Master (voice)
- François DamiensThe Reporter (voice)
- Mohamed FellagSheik Mohammed Sfar (voice)
- Mathieu AmalricThe Prince (voice)
- Eric ElmosninoProfessor Soliman (voice)
Recommendations
- 100
The A.V. Club
While the scenes don't always fit together thematically or tonally, each one is its own polished gem. - 80
New York Daily News
Though we wander a bit, the trip is a delight, thanks to the witty company. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Though this gorgeously animated affair showcases the artist's freewheeling style and colorful arabesque imagery, its rambling episodic structure is not quite the cat's meow, even if it remains a thoroughly enjoyable take on Judaism in early 20th century North Africa. - 80
The New York Times
The film presents an often sharp commentary on dueling beliefs and idiocies that unfolds in lush pastel hues and distinctively retro drawings. - 80
Village Voice
An absorbing, nuanced, and vividly animated tale of adventure, ambivalent morality, colonial injustice, talking animals, and the vagaries of religious zeal and colonialism. - 80
Los Angeles Times
It's a wild and vivid ride and a spirited reminder of the kinship between Jewish and Arab cultural traditions. - 70
Variety
This feature-length 3D adaptation of Sfar's comicbook series shares many of the same virtues and problems of his solo, live-action helming debut, the biopic "Gainsbourg," in that it is often colorful, witty and inspired, but also too episodic, and lacks a strong ending. - 63
Slant Magazine
Despite its flaws, the film is at least a consistent vision, attesting through both its story and animation to the rabbi's right to be different while also striving for human solidarity.
