Techtite's DVD Reviews!

The Grinch

(Full Title: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas")

A Techtite Review

(posted Thanksgiving day, November 23rd, 2000)

Is it ever wise to remake a classic? A revision of a TV series is one thing, like the recently released Charlie's Angels. However, an undisputable classic children's story is another matter. It might have been better if Dr. Seuss himself was alive to be a consultant, though very sadly that cannot happen. In addition, Ron Howard daringly took on the daunting task of expanding a "mere" half hour holiday special into a feature length film. The end result is, well, certainly different...and maybe that's half the problem.

The story of The Grinch (aka, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is its full title) is known by one and all who ever saw that classic Christmas special, as handled by the legendary cartoonist Chuck Jones, and voiced by the equally legendary Boris Karloff. As the classic opening narration goes, every Who down in Whoville loves Christmas a lot, yet the Grinch, living in a nearby cave, does not. His heart is three sizes too small, so his only reaction to singing, parades, and holiday cheer is nothing other than contempt. He must stop Christmas from coming, he decides, by pretending to be Santa Claus, and stealing all of the Christmas presents, decorations, and trees from the small town of Whoville. Won't this mean that Christmas simply can't come this year? The answer to this question is an obvious no, and makes for one of the nicest holiday stories of all time.

Most of the best scenes are provided by Carrey's over the top Grinch performance. Not unlike Carrey's  performance in The Mask, he's in green makeup and interacting with a hilarious, show-stealing, exceptionally well trained dog. Such scenes are no less hilarious here than they were then. Other scenes are equally good signs of the excellent casting choice here. If anyone could perform the unforgettable scene of the Grinch's classic evil grin, it's the rubber-faced Carrey. 

This alludes to The Grinch's best achievement; casting. Jim Carrey is perfect in the title role, though that's not all; Anthony Hopkins is the narrator. Another classic character, Cindy Lou Who, is played adorably by 7 year old Taylor Momsen, whose part is even expanded through most of the film (in this revision, she is a curious child, trying to find out more about the Grinch than she's told by frightened townsfolk). All this makes for a few excellent moments in the story, which truly do add up to more --a bit more-- than just half an hour (i.e., the original length of the TV special). 

This isn't saying the project is without some flaws. While it was a good move to have Carrey sing to himself the classic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" song, the song they make Cindy Lou Who sing is not particularly memorable, even if she handles it acceptably well as a 7 year old. There are also a few classic scenes of the cartoon, that were not attempted in this live-action film; a bit disappointing, when your favorite scenes include Max getting his tail stuck in the sewing machine, or the look on the mouse when the Grinch steals the last crumb in the house. On the bright side, I can appreciate the added message here, that not only the Grinch needs to be shown the true meaning of Christmas; some of the stuffier, commercialism- savvy townsfolk need to learn this as well. However, the sub-story of an "old love" in Whoville, that the Grinch had in his youth, is a little bit of a stretch (although the adult version of this old flame is played brilliantly, by Christine Baranski). 

One additional gripe deserves its own paragraph. I didn't like how the film was made a little bit too dark and foreboding, not unlike Tim Burton films such as Beetlejuice (the Grinch eats glass?) or Batman (his lair, quite oddly, looks peculiarly like the "Batcave"). I should also note that at least two mothers I am close to (including my own!), both say that this film is a bit too "dark" for very young kids. While I don't know if I can agree with that myself, the opinion needs to be said here, and it's a shame to have to say it for a film that should've been rated "G" through and through (the film, oddly, is PG rated).

The final verdict is a marginal thumbs-up --mostly thanks to Jim Carrey-- though not as strong of a recommendation as it could've been. This was a debatable undertaking from the first time it was mentioned in the entertainment magazines, and while director Ron Howard has done an acceptable job, it could've been a lot better. The man who gave us such magical sights as a mermaid in Splash, and rejuvenated senior citizens in Cocoon, should not be resorting to such a darkened view of a classic children's story. How Grinchy is that?

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