Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Widescreen Edition)

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Widescreen Edition)
by Ron Howard

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DVD Reviews of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Widescreen Edition)

DVD Review: The Moose Hole - How Howard Saved Christmas
Summary: 4 Stars

Every child, if they were brought up properly that is, has grown up with the short stories created by Dr. Seuss. Stories ranging from The Cat in the Hat to Yertle the Turtle to The Lorax with their delightful creatures and clever situations have captured the imaginations of not only the younger generation but the baby boomers as well. So is it any wonder that Universal Pictures, the studio that gained the rights to the classic tales, rushed two of the famous author's most famous works into production, The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas? The Cat is an easy sell since the concept has never been put on film but The Grinch is a bigger challenge. The challenge the live action feature faces is the 1966 television cartoon classic, which has become a staple of the Christmas holiday in the United States, and therefore comparisons between the two would be highly criticized among fans. Will the teaming of rising director Ron Howard and famous comedian Jim Carrey change all perspectives on the holiday treat? Only one thing can truly be said: Universal executives clearly have guts for at least attempting this.

The story focuses on the magical city of Whoville and the hermit-like citizen who plans to ruin the holiday rituals they care so much about. Everyone in the city of Whoville loved celebrating the holidays but one they loved the most was Christmas. All the houses are covered with lights, the streets are lined with decorations, and the stores are flooded with Whos wanting gifts for their loved ones. It seems everyone is filled with the Christmas spirit except for The Grinch. Living up on Mount Crumpit, The Grinch has despised the citizens of Whoville and their "Whobilation" and decides upon a plan to steal Christmas. Disguised as Old Saint Nick, he will go down into the city, take away all the gifts and decorations, and dump them on Mount Crumpit. But there is one little girl who believes The Grinch does have a good heart and hopes to change his ways before it is too late. The story for The Grinch works out amazingly despite the lack of material from the book from which the film is based. Considering the short story doesn't go into the details of The Grinch or any other characters presented, it was quite ingenious for Howard and company to develop the back story that they did. If they hadn't, the feature would have been a lot shorter then it was and wouldn't have been worth presenting on screen.

The cast for this take on a classic Seuss tale is relatively small, which is to be expected, but those that do have significant roles do a wonderful job at presenting amusing characters that may or may not have been seen in the Christmas legend. Though Jim Carrey may not have been the most obvious choice to play the title character, it has to be said that Ron Howard made an excellent decision after what has been seen on screen. Carrey, who had fallen from his comedic status thanks in part to the disaster known as The Cable Guy, has brought himself back to the mainstream audience with delightful and disguising character. Everything he does comes off with such comedic timing that one forgets about anybody else who could have filled the role. Taylor Momsen is absolutely adorable as Little Cindy Lou-Who and fits the character captured the story perfectly. At times she does seem a little too cute for her own good but that is a slight squabble compared to the rest of her performance. Her reactions come off perfectly with Carrey's exuberant performance. And Anthony Hopkins gives a stirring performance narrating portions of the film. At times, he slips into his Hannibal Lecter-like creepy voice but only in the appropriate areas. Obviously the younger audience will not get the slight reference to the thriller but adults will get a rise out of it.

Overall, Howard's version of The Grinch exceeds even the cartoon classic in its entertainment value but will it be an enduring classic? Not entirely. This film could have been an absolute disaster if Carrey had not been cast as The Grinch and Howard had not helming the project but luckily everything worked out for the project. As entertaining as the feature is, not everything works for it. The song sung by Taylor Momsen near the beginning could have been easily cut since it had really no reason to be placed in the film in the first place. Another problem was the kind of humor that was used. Sure, a butt joke here and there would be entertaining and funny but at times the film goes a little too far and some of the gross-out-humor gets annoying and just plain disgusting for the age group that this film is aimed at. A younger audience shouldn't be prevented from watching this but parents should take some caution for some scenes that the younger children will probably question about. Outside of those small problems, How the Grinch Stole Christmas proves to be an enduring holiday tale once again that doesn't fail to catch the imagination of the public, no matter what age they are.

Description of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Widescreen Edition)