Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
I saw this movie in theaters the winter of 2000, and the theatrical poster was the one you see to the left of this paragraph. The title was The Grinch. Then, when the movie came out on video, the title had been expanded to Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. (And that exclamation point is part of the title; I did not type that sentence with any enthusiasm.)
Apart from being an unwieldy mouthful, this train wreck of a title disingenuously implies that the film is a close adaptation of the Dr. Seuss children's book of 1957. I will continue to refer to the Jim Carrey movie as The Grinch, so as to forestall any confusion with the 1966 cartoon, which has exactly the same title.
Another point on the title before moving on: No version of this story is called "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." So stop calling it that.
This is a difficult movie to review. The book and the cartoon are so nearly perfect that it was risky to even attempt a live-action adaptation.
After all, the story derives its charm from its simplicity: The Grinch is a misanthropic creature who, for no reason at all, hates Christmas and begrudges the people of Whoville their happiness. So senselessly curmudgeonly is the Grinch that he goes to absurd lengths to deprive the Whos of their Christmas presents, thinking he can make them as miserable as he is, but he is redeemed in the end by the revelation that simple companionship is what makes the Whos happy.
Even filling a 26-minute cartoon required a lot of extra material, but fortunately it all took the form of songs and cartoon set-pieces; not a word was added to the story. But you just can't go from 26 minutes to 104 minutes without massively changing the plot. So rather than the inoffensive non-speaking plot devices we're familiar with, the Whos are now an irritating bunch of busybodies and bad neighbors who make the Grinch look like the hero. (I guess he's supposed to be the hero, but why does that mean the Whos have to be so obnoxious?)
As for the Grinch, he's given an unnecessary backstory to explain why he's such a grouch. (His heart is two sizes too small—isn't that enough of an explanation?) Cindy Lou Who has been aged, soap-opera style, from "not more than two" to about six, and her part has expanded as well. Since she's the only really sympathetic character in the movie, this is a welcome change, but her role is limited to having the Wide-Eyed Innocence of a Child and trying to persuade the townspeople that the Grinch is not all bad. (But he is all bad! That's the whole point!)
But I think I'm being unfair. Nothing could have lived up to the original Grinch, so it's only right to evaluate the movie for what it is.
And for what it is, it's all right. Jim Carrey of course steals every scene, and he's exactly what a live-action Grinch should be. He spends about half the movie talking to himself, and these scenes are my favorite because the Whos aren't there. The voice he does sounds similar to Boris Karloff in the cartoon, and just look at him—he looks exactly like the Grinch. (They actually won an Oscar for this make-up, but why do the Whos have tiny rat-noses? Aren't they bugs?)
They did a reasonably good job of making the movie look like a Dr. Seuss book, though not quite as well as in the Nickelodeon show The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. It certainly has a stylized look, but I could have done without all the intense red and purple lighting; all the nighttime scenes look like they take place in front of a bar in a bad part of town. The music is good, including some new songs, but the best number remains "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," this time sung by the Grinch himself, which is clever and very in-character.
Well, I've been pretty critical of The Grinch, and I was going to say it was overrated, but then at the last minute my icy cold heart grew three sizes. So I guess it's
...but not by much.
The True Meaning of Christmas is:
1. The joy of Christmas is the company of your fellow rat-nosed bug people.
It will come without packages, boxes, or bags, but according to this movie it will be like pulling teeth towards the end.
2. Just watch the cartoon.
I have to admit, it still gets to me when the Grinch hears a sound rising over the snow...
I'm sorry, I just... talk amongst yourselves.
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