Christina Ricci: 8 Roles That Have Defined Her Career
7. Kat Casper (1995)
Having been established as a child star, it was perhaps inevitable that Ricci would struggle to land further roles of quite the same calibre as Wednesday Addams. But of the family movies that followed others including 1995s Now and Then, and 1997s That Darn Cat Casper is the one that sits most comfortably among Riccis overall body of work. While undeniably cute and kid-friendly, the Steven Spielberg-produced film based on the popular cartoon character tackles the thorny subject of mortality in a fairly unflinching manner. As Kat, Ricci is the daughter of Bill Pullmans parapsychologist James Harvey, who moves their small family unit into an old haunted mansion when hes hired by Cathy Moriartys greedy heiress to rid her inherited property of its spectral inhabitants. While ostensibly a far sunnier character than Wednesday, theres still a darkness at Kats heart given that she and her father are both grieving the loss of Kats mother some years earlier something which neither of them have ever truly come to terms with. Director Brad Silberlings film is loaded with sight gags and CGI-aided spectacle, yet theres still a contemplative element to proceedings, as Kats new friendship with the forever young Casper goes some way to helping her through the grieving process. We dont have too many childrens films in which the young leads discuss what it feels like to die, and Ricci handles the scenes with a maturity that betrays her years something which would be true of many of her roles which followed in the late 1990s...
