When I saw that Copycat had landed in the Netflix top 10 I was intrigued, as it was a movie that I wasn’t really familiar with. The 1995 crime thriller starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter wasn’t exactly for me when it first came out and despite being “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes I hadn’t heard anything about the movie prior to its recent addition to Netflix.
But doing some research and watching the movie’s trailer I can see why Copycat is catching some people’s attention. But for me, there’s one thing that stands out above the rest — what looks to be a wild and against-type performance from Harry Connick Jr.
Netflix’s listed synopsis for Copycat reads: “The hunt for a grisly San Francisco murderer makes unlikely comrades of two women: a detective and a psychologist who survived a serial killer attack.” Weaver plays the psychologist and Hunter the detective. But the description leaves out a fun little detail of the plot — that the murderer is copying the killings of famed serial killers (i.e. Boston Strangler, Hillside Strangler).
Connick Jr. plays the murderer in the movie, and for any fans of the singer and former talk show host it is a role that feels like few Connick Jr. ever took on as an actor. Most of us know Connick Jr. from his roles in comedies, like Will & Grace, and romantic comedies, like his most recent movie, Netflix’s Find Me Falling. But in Copycat, Connick plays a deranged serial killer, and he is playing up the deranged part in the previews.
Copycat was only Connick Jr.’s third movie, and probably his biggest up until that point. I can totally understand the appeal for Connick to play a villain and see what he can do with it. It is definitely a big part of what makes me intrigued to watch Copycat on Netflix.
Other notable names starring in the movie are Dermot Mulroney and Will Patton. The movie was directed by Jon Amiel, who was at his peak with 90s movies like Entrapment and The Man Who Knew Too Little. The script was co-written by Ann Biderman and David Madsen; Biderman would go on to write Primal Fear and Public Enemies, as well as create the popular series Ray Donovan.
As of June 17, Copycat is ranked No. 10 of Netflix’s Top 10 movies in the US and No. 7 in the UK. The movie is also streaming on Prime Video in both countries, while it’s also available on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK. A subscription to any of these services will allow you to watch Copycat.
Check out the Copycat trailer right here: