Phoebe Cates is at her most persuasive when a comedy gives her something uncomfortable to say. We rate the directness she brings to Gremlins; her films do not always give her enough to do.
Fi1m perspective
The creatures in Gremlins (1984) get most of the attention, until Phoebe Cates has something uncomfortable to say. Her Christmas speech as Kate Beringer asks for a difficult change of mood, and she makes us accept it. We were unsettled by the seriousness she brings to a comedy otherwise so pleased with its bad behaviour. This is where we rate her most highly: making a person's distress matter in a film that could easily get another joke out of it.
Two years earlier, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) had established her as a teen-film presence, playing Linda Barrett alongside Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her natural ease suits Amy Heckerling's ensemble, although the memorable pool sequence gives only a narrow idea of her usefulness as an actor. We like the film's consideration for its teenagers, with reservations about the loose storytelling and occasional cruelty. Cates belongs comfortably in this company, but Gremlins provides the more revealing test of what she can do when the tone changes.
Joe Dante's handling of that speech also shows what the film misses elsewhere. Zach Galligan supplies a mild human centre as Billy Peltzer, but the human story becomes thin once the creatures take charge. Cates cannot fix that shortage of writing, and too often the human scenes leave us waiting for another creature. The film improves when it gives her reaction as much attention as the effects; this is a good performance with less space than it needs. She reprised Kate in Dante's Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
A lead role in the comedy-fantasy Drop Dead Fred (1991) was followed by Princess Caraboo (1994), her final major film role before stepping back from regular acting. She briefly returned as Sophia Gold in The Anniversary Party (2001), alongside Leigh, who also directed. For a first encounter, choose Gremlins, and give the human reactions as much attention as the creatures.
Biography
Phoebe Cates is an American actress, model and businesswoman. Born Phoebe Belle Cates on 16 July 1963 in New York City, she began her career as a model in her teens before making her film debut in Paradise (1982). That same year she played Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
She is best known for her roles as Kate Beringer in Gremlins (1984) and its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), as well as appearances in Private School (1983), Drop Dead Fred (1991) and Princess Caraboo (1994). Her final screen role was in The Anniversary Party (2001). Cates has also worked in theatre and founded the Blue Tree boutique in New York in 2005.
In 1989 she married actor Kevin Kline; they have two children. She is the daughter of producer Joseph Cates and niece of director Gilbert Cates.
