History YMMV / Cats

*** Special mention to a Twitter review by David Farrier. His use of flashbacks to establish context for his reaction reminded enough readers of Dr. Manhattan from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' that two different {{Remix Comic}}s, and even a [=YouTube=] fan video were released with Dr. Manhattan reading the interview in-character:

** Many people, including ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers'', joked that Tom Hooper made a DealWithTheDevil so that he could win an Oscar for ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', and ''Cats'' was the result of Satan coming to collect. Or that the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic was God's punishment upon humanity for creating ''Cats''.

** Many people, including ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers'', joked that Tom Hooper made a DealWithTheDevil so that he could win an Oscar for ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', and ''Cats'' was the result of Satan coming to collect.

** Many people joked that Tom Hooper made a DealWithTheDevil so that he could win an Oscar for ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', and ''Cats'' was the result of Satan coming to collect.

* CriticalDissonance: While British critics liked the show just fine, American critics never understood it and were downright baffled by its success. And yet it's the second-longest-running show in Broadway history. If anything, the lack of critical praise ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools helped]]'' [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the show]]: no soundbites or quotes meant nothing to clutter the show's famed minimalist poster. You ''had'' to see it for yourself to know why it was so popular.

** Not only that, but early success of the show has been directly attributed to the fact since the story is so simple compared to the wild costumes and catchy music, that during its debut it was a hit for foreign tourists who did speak English very well.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: With the possible exception of Creator/JenniferHudson, none of the [[FakeBrit American cast members]] pull off very convincing British accents, with Music/TaylorSwift and Jason Derulo being the most notable.

* BileFascination: The scores of brutal reviews the film has been receiving describing the film as a sort of [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs incredibly bizarre and uncanny kafkaesque spectacle]] have led to many people declaring interest in seeing ''Cats'' just to be part of the experience.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: People in skintight cat costumes singing and dancing on stage? Unusual, perhaps, but it works. Taking that exact same setup and filming it with some UnintentionalUncannyValley CGI and chroma-keying and scaling down the actors into oversized sets? For some, it's just so bafflingly ill-conceived at every step of the way that you get the feeling [[HighOnCatnip catnip]] ''had'' to be involved in the creative process. Humorously enough, director Tom Hooper [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything claimed that he'd never even heard of the stuff]]. Even more humorously, its theater showings were often [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/people-are-seeing-cats-while-high-out-of-their-minds-these-are-their-stories/2020/01/05/d0ebfb3a-2beb-11ea-bcb3-ac6482c4a92f_story.html watched on drugs.]]

** The appearance of what was taken to be a wedding ring on Creator/JudiDench's hand during the final scene was widely mocked, and commonly shared as evidence of the film's unfinished nature. However, Old Deutoronomy can clearly be seen wearing rings on both hands earlier in the film as well, suggesting the rings were a creative decision rather than an oversight.

* EndingFatigue: The final fourth-wall-breaking sequence at what is clearly the end of the film when Old Deuteronony recites "The Ad-dressing of Cats". Ty Burr of the Boston Globe wrote that the audience was left in fits of laughter as Creator/JudiDench slowly enunciated her way through each verse and ended each on a definitively conclusive note (with accompanying musical cue), seemingly signaling the end of the movie... only to fire up another verse after a several-second pause. The whole sequence is about four minutes long.

** Creator/EvanRachelWood's [[https://twitter.com/ciairefoy/status/1210141093989359617 Instagram review of the film is often referenced]].

** Finally, as this film was one of the last major studio releases that made it to theaters prior to the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusPandemic of 2020 onward and all the misery it wrought on both pop culture and society as a whole (especially in the United States due to it crossing paths with the last year of the divisive Creator/DonaldTrump administration), jokes that the movie ''really was'' a harbinger of the End Times, as so many had snarked prior to release and in reviews, proliferated. Along with jokes that the disastrous events of 2020 were God punishing humanity for making the ''Cats'' movie.

* WTHCastingAgency
** While most of the casting choices are considered odd, none got more raised critical eyebrows than Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger. However, the backlash died down after the film's release, with many coming around to consider him not just providing one of the better performances, but some of the best makeup and designs in the movie.
** Creator/RebelWilson and Creator/JamesCorden as Jennyanydots and Bustopher Jones, respectively, are also generally considered poor choices. Though both have some musical theater experience, their respective brands of CringeComedy are largely agreed to be ill-fitting for this kind of movie. Few were surprised when they both won Razzies.
** Francesca Hayward may be the principal dancer at the Royal Ballet and her dancing is indeed excellent, but her limited facial expressions suggest to some that she should stick to her day job. This wouldn't be an issue if Victoria were just a silent character as in the original show (and therefore better to be played by a dancer) but she is upgraded to a main protagonist with a MovieBonusSong.
** Music/JenniferHudson would likely have regarded as a fantastic casting choice for any of the female characters ''except'' Grizabella. And while both her acting and singing in the role are top-notch, her very attractive and youthful appearance plays against the idea of Grizabella being old and worn down (though as seen in FranchiseOriginalSin, younger actresses have played the character before). This was ''not'' helped by the film doing little to create this effect through makeup or costuming as the stage shows do... likely to prevent covering up Jennifer Hudson's very famous face.
** Creator/JudiDench may be a rightfully beloved actress, but Dench - then in her mid 80s - is far from a strong singer, which is only made all the more noticeable when you cast her as Old Deuteronomy, one of the most vocally demanding roles in the show.

--''Everyone who sees'' Cats ''will have their own reaction, their own moment that becomes seared into their being for the rest of time, like prophets of old glimpsing the true face of God. I, for one, am unable to express in words the scream that emanated from deep within my soul when Judi Dench’s Old Deuteronomy spreads her legs wide and scissors them in the air to express her approval of another cat’s musical number.''

** Cockroaches with human faces. Which Rebel Wilson's character proceeds to eat. Yes, really.

** The line about a "heathen Chinese" was acceptable when T.S. Eliot wrote the line. However, it's very clearly racist, and is seen as such today. Ditto the Siamese cats being referred to as "chinks" in "Growltiger's Last Stand."

* MemeticMolester: Macavity has "broken every human law". Basic FridgeHorror therefore leads to the conclusion that he's guilty of rape, pedophilia, beastiality (him having sex with a human since he's a cat), and necrophilia.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The ''Cats'' fandom in the West may be fanatical, but it's nothing compared to Japan where there is an entire theater dedicated solely to the show and the songs sometimes play on trains as the departure melody.

* OhMeAccentsSlipping: With the possible exception of Creator/JenniferHudson, none of the [[{{FakeBrit}} American cast members]] pull off very convincing British accents, with Music/TaylorSwift and Jason Derulo being the most notable.