Catwoman (movie)

Catwoman is a 2004 superhero-action movie. It was based loosely on the DC Comics character of the same name.

Plot
Artist and graphics designer Patience Phillips is a people-pleaser. Her main support is her best friend Sally. She works for a cosmetics company called Hedare Beauty. They're ready to ship a new skin cream, Beau-line. It reverses the effects of aging. However, Patience overhears the scientist Dr. Ivan Slavicky and Laurel Hedare, the wife of company owner George Hedare, talking of the dangerous side effects from continued use of the skin cream. Laurel's guards discover Patience. They are ordered to get rid of her. Patience is then killed by drowning.

Patience later washes up on shore. She's brought back to life by a cat, the Egyptian Mau. The cat appeared at her apartment earlier. From that point on, she develops cat-like abilities. 

From Mau's owner, researcher Ophelia Powers, Patience learns that Egyptian Mau cats are messengers of the goddess Bast. She then realizes she is now a "catwoman". She is reborn with abilities that are a blessing and a curse. She is disguised as Catwoman to hide her identity. Under cover of darkness, Patience looks for answers as to who killed her and why. Her search leads her to Laurel Hedare. Patience asks Laurel to keep an eye on George. Laurel agrees to do so.

When Patience meets George in anger, however, he says that he knows nothing about the side effects. The police, led by Patience's love partner, Detective Tom Lone, come. Catwoman escapes. 

Later, Laurel kills her husband for his infidelity. She had Dr Slavicky killed because he wanted to end the release of Beau-line. She calls Catwoman and blames the murder on her. Tom arrests Catwoman and takes her into custody.

Patience, or Catwoman, slips from her cell and angrily meets Laurel in her office. Patience rescues Tom. Tom questioned Laurel about Patience's guilt in the process. It then becomes obvious that Laurel was the one who killed Patience. 

During a fight, Patience scratches Laurel's face several times. That causes Laurel to fall out a window, then grab a pipe. Laurel falls to her own death.

Patience is cleared of any charges about the deaths of the Hedares and Dr Slavicky. She ends things with Tom. She enjoys her newfound freedom as the mysterious Catwoman.

Cast

 Halle Berry as Patience Phillips / Catwoman
 Benjamin Bratt as Tom Lone
 Lambert Wilson as George Hedare
 Frances Conroy as Ophelia Powers
 Alex Borstein as Sally
 Sharon Stone as Laurel Hedare
 Kim Smith as Drina
 Michael Massee as Armando
 Byron Mann as Wesley
 Peter Wingfield as Dr. Ivan Slavicky
 Berend McKenzie as Lance
 Ona Grauer as Sandy
 Landy Cannon as Randy
 Benita Ha as Forensics Technician
 Jill Krop as Newscaster
 Dagmar Midcap as Television Reporter
 Peter Williams as Detective
 Janet Varney as Party Girl

Reception

Box office
Catwoman took in $40,202,379 in North America. It made $41,900,000 in other countries. The budget was $100 million.

Reviews
Catwoman was hated by critics. Under Rotten Tomatoes, it had a score of 9%. It appeared on the list of Roger Ebert's most hated movies. Ebert and his co-host Richard Roeper both gave the movie "thumbs down".

Awards
The movie got seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations in 2005. It won Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.

References

2004 movies
Warner Bros. movies
DC Comics movies
African-American superhero movies