How The Grinch Stole Christmas ««
PG, 104m. 2000
Cast & Credits: Jim Carrey (Grinch), Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou Who), Jeffrey Tambor (Mayor Augustus Maywho), Christine Baranski (Martha May Whovier), Bill Irwin (Lou Lou Who), Molly Shannon (Betty Lou Who), Clint Howard (Whobris), Anthony Hopkins (Narrator). Screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Directed by Ron Howard.
Patrick Keith, a friend of mine, co-worker and a big fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, suggested I read author J.R.R. Tolkien’s books before seeing New Line Pictures adaptation of the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring, when it opens in theaters this December.
Keith’s reason is so I can familiarize myself better with the series’ events and characters that may not possibly be covered in the film’s reportedly three and a half hour running time.
I could have used that advice when seeing director Ron Howard’s cheerless, joyless live action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
I should have picked up a copy of the classic children’s book at the local bookstore or for that matter, watched the 1966 Christmas video so I can tell what’s different besides the fact Howard’s version runs close to two hours.
I have never read a single book by Dr. Seuss nor have I seen the cartoon. The most I have ever seen of the video was clips shown on a trailer tape which constantly played during the holiday season when I worked at Blockbuster Video.
As a result, I can recite line for line the Grinch’s song that starts out with the words “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch...you really are a heel.” I am almost certain I have either sung or hummed those words once or twice in my life, perhaps while I was in the shower.
I have often heard that when people sing or hum to themselves, it means they are in a good mood. My good mood went sour sitting through How The Grinch Stole Christmas so much so that once the film was over, I started wondering if my heart was now “two sizes too small”; the same size as that vengeful green furry haired monster himself.
Director Howard is no stranger in supplying audiences with memorable characters we care about in films like Cocoon (1985), Backdraft (1991) and Apollo 13 (1994). How the Grinch Stole Christmas, however, maybe the most emotionally distant film he’s ever made to date. The picture is more depressing than magical. The film’s atmosphere is as cold, empty and uninviting as Whoville, the fabled town where the Grinch (Jim Carrey) lives that’s actually inside a tiny snowflake.
Seeing that town where all the inhabitants look like deformed human pigs (everyone has a piglike nose) reminded me of early experiments gone horribly wrong by Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1995). I’d rather take my chances residing on a windswept ice planet like the one in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) than in Whoville.
Screenwriters Jeffery Price and Peter S. Seaman take a journalist’s 60 Minutes type perspective providing us with flashbacks to when the Grinch was just a little green haired rodent in grade school (he didn’t even look lovable then) and was mocked by all the other kids.
I suppose I can’t blame the classmates for making fun of the creature but then again, if I looked anything like the deformed pigs of Whoville with buck teeth, I wouldn’t be talking.
We get interviews from former classmates like Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranski), the Grinch’s childhood love, who turned him down thus signaling his reason for becoming the town pariah and choosing to live on a mountain away from all the residents.
The picture’s only selling point (or should I say reason why the film made over $100 million last year) is Jim Carrey in the starring role who is completely unrecognizable underneath all the make-up. He is the only reason why kids wanted their parents to see the film and is the only reason why they’ll ask mom and dad to buy the video or DVD for them next Christmas.
I don’t think any kid will be able to tell if it is really Jim Carrey though. That is unless they’re familiar with Carrey’s first box office hit; the lewd, unfunny Ace Ventura (1994) (yes, I was only one in theaters who wasn’t laughing). There is a scene in Dr. Seuss that had me wondering if the late Theodor S. Giesel turned over in his grave.
The scene is when the Grinch plays a particularly gross trick on the mayor of Whoville while he sleeps getting his abusive dog, Max, to sit his rear end on top of the mayor’s mouth. I have no doubt that when a kid sees that, they’ll probably remember this Jim Carrey from his Ace Ventura days before he wanted some respect from the critics starring in more notable dramas.
There is a reason How The Grinch Stole Christmas was brought to the big screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is because when Howard was a kid himself dreaming of being an aspiring filmmaker, he saw the thirty minute cartoon on television and wondered how cool it would be with the right amount of money, say $100 million, to do a big screen two hour update of the classic.
I am certain he knew what to include; lots of make-up and elaborate set designs which is exactly what this movie has.
I suppose the reason why kids fell in love with the Grinch was because he is like a young Anakin Skywalker who lets his negative emotions get the best of him and becomes Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies. Like the Grinch, Darth Vader was evil but we learned there was still a shred of good inside that dark sinister machine.
Kids who read the Dr. Seuss book and saw the TV show knew that somewhere deep inside the Grinch was a creature with a kind heart.
What the live action How The Grinch Stole Christmas needed was a soul.
©11/1/00
PG, 104m. 2000
Cast & Credits: Jim Carrey (Grinch), Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou Who), Jeffrey Tambor (Mayor Augustus Maywho), Christine Baranski (Martha May Whovier), Bill Irwin (Lou Lou Who), Molly Shannon (Betty Lou Who), Clint Howard (Whobris), Anthony Hopkins (Narrator). Screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Directed by Ron Howard.
Keith’s reason is so I can familiarize myself better with the series’ events and characters that may not possibly be covered in the film’s reportedly three and a half hour running time.
I could have used that advice when seeing director Ron Howard’s cheerless, joyless live action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
I should have picked up a copy of the classic children’s book at the local bookstore or for that matter, watched the 1966 Christmas video so I can tell what’s different besides the fact Howard’s version runs close to two hours.
I have never read a single book by Dr. Seuss nor have I seen the cartoon. The most I have ever seen of the video was clips shown on a trailer tape which constantly played during the holiday season when I worked at Blockbuster Video.
As a result, I can recite line for line the Grinch’s song that starts out with the words “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch...you really are a heel.” I am almost certain I have either sung or hummed those words once or twice in my life, perhaps while I was in the shower.
I have often heard that when people sing or hum to themselves, it means they are in a good mood. My good mood went sour sitting through How The Grinch Stole Christmas so much so that once the film was over, I started wondering if my heart was now “two sizes too small”; the same size as that vengeful green furry haired monster himself.
Director Howard is no stranger in supplying audiences with memorable characters we care about in films like Cocoon (1985), Backdraft (1991) and Apollo 13 (1994). How the Grinch Stole Christmas, however, maybe the most emotionally distant film he’s ever made to date. The picture is more depressing than magical. The film’s atmosphere is as cold, empty and uninviting as Whoville, the fabled town where the Grinch (Jim Carrey) lives that’s actually inside a tiny snowflake.
Seeing that town where all the inhabitants look like deformed human pigs (everyone has a piglike nose) reminded me of early experiments gone horribly wrong by Marlon Brando in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1995). I’d rather take my chances residing on a windswept ice planet like the one in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) than in Whoville.
Screenwriters Jeffery Price and Peter S. Seaman take a journalist’s 60 Minutes type perspective providing us with flashbacks to when the Grinch was just a little green haired rodent in grade school (he didn’t even look lovable then) and was mocked by all the other kids.
I suppose I can’t blame the classmates for making fun of the creature but then again, if I looked anything like the deformed pigs of Whoville with buck teeth, I wouldn’t be talking.
We get interviews from former classmates like Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranski), the Grinch’s childhood love, who turned him down thus signaling his reason for becoming the town pariah and choosing to live on a mountain away from all the residents.
The picture’s only selling point (or should I say reason why the film made over $100 million last year) is Jim Carrey in the starring role who is completely unrecognizable underneath all the make-up. He is the only reason why kids wanted their parents to see the film and is the only reason why they’ll ask mom and dad to buy the video or DVD for them next Christmas.
I don’t think any kid will be able to tell if it is really Jim Carrey though. That is unless they’re familiar with Carrey’s first box office hit; the lewd, unfunny Ace Ventura (1994) (yes, I was only one in theaters who wasn’t laughing). There is a scene in Dr. Seuss that had me wondering if the late Theodor S. Giesel turned over in his grave.
The scene is when the Grinch plays a particularly gross trick on the mayor of Whoville while he sleeps getting his abusive dog, Max, to sit his rear end on top of the mayor’s mouth. I have no doubt that when a kid sees that, they’ll probably remember this Jim Carrey from his Ace Ventura days before he wanted some respect from the critics starring in more notable dramas.
There is a reason How The Grinch Stole Christmas was brought to the big screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is because when Howard was a kid himself dreaming of being an aspiring filmmaker, he saw the thirty minute cartoon on television and wondered how cool it would be with the right amount of money, say $100 million, to do a big screen two hour update of the classic.
I am certain he knew what to include; lots of make-up and elaborate set designs which is exactly what this movie has.
I suppose the reason why kids fell in love with the Grinch was because he is like a young Anakin Skywalker who lets his negative emotions get the best of him and becomes Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies. Like the Grinch, Darth Vader was evil but we learned there was still a shred of good inside that dark sinister machine.
Kids who read the Dr. Seuss book and saw the TV show knew that somewhere deep inside the Grinch was a creature with a kind heart.
What the live action How The Grinch Stole Christmas needed was a soul.
©11/1/00
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