Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)December 10th, 2000
The Grinch
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman (based on the book by Dr. Seuss) Starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, and the voice of Anthony Hopkins
Grade: F
You know something, Christmas is not about presents. It's about over-hyped holiday films with lots of merchandising and product tie-ins. At least that would seem to be the message of "The Grinch," which has been advertised since last Christmas and whose logo is currently plastered all over stores. Hollywood expects us to ignore this cynical greed as the movie scolds us about losing the true spirit of the season.
You know the plot: there's this evil furry green guy called the Grinch (Jim Carrey) who lives on a mountain overlooking Whoville. Down below all the Whos are preparing for their Whobilation, but the Grinch is determined to steal their Christmas.
The movie is, of course, a live-action version of the beloved children's book, which was previously adapted into a 1966 TV special by Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones. It's rare that a big budget Hollywood release is shamed by a thirty-year-old half-hour cartoon, but that's the case when Jones' version is compared to Ron Howard's. The TV Grinch hit all the right notes: Boris Karloff's soft, deep narration; Thurl Ravenscroft singing "Mr. Grinch"; Max the dog weighed down by the gigantic antler tied to his head; and the Grinch's wide, toothless grin.
By contrast, the movie hits one sour note after another. First, there are the numerous bad choices that Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman made in padding out the short book into a 105-minute movie. Young wide-eyed Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) is depressed about the misplaced priorities of her parents (Bill Irwin and Molly Shannon) during the holiday season. She begins to sympathize with the Grinch, who turns out to be surprisingly sympathetic. Cindy Lou discovers that the Grinch turned tearfully away from Whoville in grammar school when he was publicly humiliated while expressing his love for the prettiest girl in the class, Martha May Whovier (played as an adult by Christine Baranski). Are we expected to like the Grinch, hate the Whos, and want him to steal Christmas? The Grinch isn't even the villain here; that role is filled by the corrupt Mayor of Whoville (Jeffrey Tambor) who was the Grinch's rival for Martha's affection. Not only are the characters needlessly complex, but the once-simple plot becomes so convoluted that the actual theft of Christmas seems like an afterthought.
The casting choices aren't any better than the screenwriting decisions. Jim Carrey seems woefully miscast. While his face is so supple that the rubber make-up seems superfluous, Carrey brings nothing else to the role. His accent keeps changing; I assume he was shooting for Karloff, but he ends up sounding like a weird slurry of Richard Nixon, Sean Connery, and Cartman from "South Park." Not knowing what else to do during his many scenes alone in the Grinch's home, Carrey falls back on his stand-up comedy and clowns around Ace Ventura-style. Needless to say, his wise-cracking antics don't quite fit the character of the Grinch, who is an embittered loner filled with hate.
Little Taylor Momsen brings little to role of Cindy Lou except big eyes and a cute smile. She would have been fine if Cindy Lou was limited to her original purpose in the Seuss story (finding "Santa" in her living room stealing the tree). However, the expanded script makes Cindy as important as the Grinch, and Momsen is not up to the challenge.
Bottom Line: When you're stealing Christmas (movies), leave this one behind.
© 2000 Christian L. Pyle
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