The Rabbi's Cat

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  • Opened December 7, 2012 (NY, 12/14 LA)
  • 1 hr 40 min
  • NR

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 12+. More on child suitability

  • Based on the best-selling graphic novel by Joann Sfar, The Rabbi’s Cat tells 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 voluptuous teenage daughter. Algeria in the 1930s is an intersection of Jewish, Arab and French culture. A cat belonging to a widowed rabbi eats the family parrot and miraculously gains the ability to speak. Along with the power of speech comes unparalleled sardonic wit, and the cat – and filmmaker Sfar – spare no group or individual as they skewer faith, tradition and authority in a provocative exploration of (among other things) God, lust, death, phrenology, religious intolerance, interspecies love, and the search for truth. Full synopsis

  • Cast: François Morel, Maurice Bénichou, Hafsia Herzi, Francois Damiens, Mathieu Amalric, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Fellag Sheik, Marguerite Abouet, Sava Lolov
  • Director: Joann Sfar, Antoine Delesvaux
  • Genres: 3D, Action/Adventure, Animated

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Critic Reviews

100
The A.V. Club
| Tasha Robinson

While the scenes don't always fit together thematically or tonally, each one is its own polished gem. Read full review

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. Read full review

80
New York Daily News
| Elizabeth Weitzman

Though we wander a bit, the trip is a delight, thanks to the witty company. Read full review

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. Read full review

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A scene from "The Rabbi's Cat."