Fierce Creatures

"Don't pet them."

1997 1h 33m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 406

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ex-policeman Rollo Lee is sent to run Marwood Zoo, the newly acquired business of a New Zealand tycoon. In order to meet high profit targets and keep the zoo open, Rollo enforces a new 'fierce creatures' policy, whereby only the most impressive and dangerous animals are allowed to remain in the zoo. However, the keepers are less enthusiastic about complying with these demands.

“Don't pet them.”

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Cast

John Cleese
Rollo Lee
Jamie Lee Curtis
Willa Weston
Kevin Kline
Vince McCain / Rod McCain
Michael Palin
Adrian "Bugsy" Malone
Ronnie Corbett
Reggie
Carey Lowell
Cub
Robert Lindsay
Sydney Lotterby
Bille Brown
Neville Coltrane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Young
Writers: John Cleese, Iain Johnstone, Martin Asbury
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Young, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Gibson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Don't pet them.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Young directs. Ian Baker behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Robert Gibson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Robert Young, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Gibson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Don't pet them.".
9IMDB entry: tt0119115 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Baker
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Robert Gibson
Production design: Roger Murray-Leach
Costume design: Hazel Pethig
Makeup / hair: Hilary Haines
Sound: Graham V. Hartstone
Stunt coordinator: Greg Powell
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $9,381,260
Return: 38% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Fierce Creatures (1997)

Also by

Robert Young

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-06-05
★ 6/10
"Rollo" (John Cleese) is drafted in by his ruthless American boss "McCain" - no fries on him - to run a British zoo. His policy upon arrival is to get rid of all the cute and cuddly critters and leave just the menacing lions and tigers and bears! The staff are horrified, especially when some neat new graves appear after five resonating gunshots. The staff revolt and that convinces "McCain" (Kevin Kline) to send his son "Vince" (also CK) to take the helm with his savvy executive "Willa" (Jamie Lee Curtis) and pretty soon his new branding policy has just about everything sponsored, including the staff - but, of course, none of this is legit. We just know that the tortoise named after benefactor Bruce Springsteen is not likely to ever see the man. When it appears that "Vince" has his hand in the till, too, his father decides to be shot of all of these smelly beasts and just build a golf course. To that end, he arrives on scene to help his two underlings impress the would-be Japanese investors who have their eye on the place. It does have it's funny moments, but I reckon much of those will depend on your fondness for Cleese and his slapstick style of humour. His tall, gangly, appearance frequently being his principle prop - that his his character's innate crassness and stupidity. As the story evolves, we get a bit less of that and more of Kline's mischievous humour and of course Curtis, whom her pal things is interested in him romantically but she is far more enamoured of the zoo and then rather predictably... There's an entertaining supporting cast here - Robert Lindsay, fellow Python Michael Palin and Ronnie Corbett, and they and their animals add the "aah" factor the the thing making it watchable, but not really very memorable.

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