Harry Chapin said his sole No. 1 hit from 1974 "scared him to death," and after listening to "Cat's in the Cradle", it's easy to see why.

It's a portrait of the '70s folk-rock star, and of the song of his — with lyrics by his wife — that still casts a spell. Yet the film’s title throws down a bit of a gauntlet. Was Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s ...