"Brick Pollitt" (Paul Newman) is a former athlete who has an extremely wealthy father known as "Big Daddy" (Burl Ives) and a beautiful wife named "Maggie" (Elizabeth Taylor). Unfortunately, although an injury sustained while playing football has destroyed his athletic career, it's another situation (which only he knows) that results in him becoming angry and bitter at everybody in his life. This not only includes Big Daddy--who finds fault with everyone around him--but also Maggie who does everything she can to remedy the situation with Brick only to see her romantic advances thrown back in her face. Naturally, this has left her both sexually frustrated and even more importantly--childless. Yet, with all of this going on, when he hears rumors that his father is extremely sick, both he and Maggie decide to visit Big Daddy upon his release from the hospital and--coincidentally enough--his 65th birthday as well. However, what nobody counts on is the dramatic turn of events that follow which shatters the family dynamic in a most dramatic manner. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an impressive film which benefited greatly from the fine acting of Burl Ives, Paul Newman and especially Elizabeth Taylor who eluded beauty and sexuality from start-to-finish. That said, however, this film featured no action, very little humor and was quite wordy. Yet even so, I found it to be it rather entertaining despite these weaknesses and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.
Review of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
