Christmas movies can be hit or miss, with some being so much better than others. There are several Christmas movies that I really enjoy and I watch them every year. I do like a few that the majority of people seem to hate. The live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) starring Jim Carrey seems to be one of those movies. For the last several years, this has been one of several movies that I have watched while decorating my Christmas tree. And yes, I realize that I am in the minority with this movie since most people seem to hate it.

Christmas was a very big deal for the Whos living in Whoville and they all jumped into decorating and buying numerous presents. Only little Cindy Lou Who didn’t seem to be embracing all things connected to Christmas. She was feeling like there had to be more to the holiday than presents.

The Grinch hated everything to do with Christmas and he dreaded the coming holiday every year. He lived with his dog Max on a mountain just north of Whoville but he would venture into town every so often to stir up trouble. Cindy Lou got curious about the Grinch and started asking questions. She came up with the idea to include him in the annual holiday celebration even though Mayor Augustus Maywho didn’t like the idea. Things seemed to be going fine for a while and then something happened that set the Grinch off. Once he returned home, he decided that he was going to do something to stop Christmas from coming.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) was based on the book by Dr. Seuss. A cartoon version of the story was also done in 1966 and has become a Christmas classic that many people enjoy watching each year. I remember when this movie came out and how some people were set against a live action version even before watching the movie. It isn’t the same as the cartoon, but I don’t think it is as bad as many have claimed over the years either. It is just a different version of the story and I happen to like both. Some things were added to the cartoon version and even more was added to the movie version to make it long enough. Much of what was added was background information for the Grinch that I did enjoy learning about. It provided more of a reason for why he hated Christmas so much. I did think the new material worked for the story and was interesting, though I know many people don’t feel the same.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) did include several more traditional Christmas elements. Elaborate decorations were very important to several of the Whos, like Cindy Lou’s mother Betty Lou and their neighbor Martha May Whoiver. The two women seemed to be in a sort of unofficial decoration contest. Really all of the Whos were placing a lot of importance on buying presents and one scene early in the movie effectively showed just how out of control they were with their Christmas shopping. The movie didn’t include any of the religious connections to Christmas, something that was left out of the original story and cartoon version as well. The movie did still deliver the same message as the story and cartoon about what Christmas was really about. It might have even been a bit more effective with the way things were shown in the movie. Much more of the insanity leading up to Christmas was shown, which really helped to enforce the message. The movie didn’t get preachy with the message.

In the original story and cartoon, the Grinch was really the only character to receive any attention. For How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), time was taken to show more of the Whos and flesh them out a bit. Cindy Lou, who only briefly turned up in the previous versions of the story, received a lot of attention and played a fairly large role in what was going on. Her parents and older siblings were also briefly introduced. Martha and the Mayor were two new characters who did share some history with the Grinch. I did like that more of the Whos were shown even though many of them weren’t as developed.

The Whos had a rather unique look in the book and cartoon that was carried into How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Makeup was used for all of the Whos to subtly change the shape of their faces without making them look too strange. Many of the women had very elaborate, unique hairstyles that included objects. Makeup as well as a full body suit made of green yak hair was used for the Grinch. I thought all the makeup was done well throughout the movie. All the different locations around Whoville had the same sort of look that the book and cartoon had. I thought the sets fit in and matched the source material well. A few different special effects were used for different things throughout the movie. I did think the effects were done well.

There was a decent amount of humor in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The Grinch did say and do several things that made me laugh throughout the movie. Max the dog also made me laugh several times. There were a few things that I think were supposed to be funny that weren’t, so not all of the humor worked. Some of what was done to add humor was a bit silly which could bother some viewers. The movie was rated PG because of a bit of crude humor, but it wasn’t anything too excessive.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) included the same songs that the cartoon version did. The Whos were shown singing the same song while standing around the huge Christmas tree in the middle of town. There was a version of You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch performed by Jim Carrey. His version was different from the original, but I didn’t think it was horrible. He did go a bit overboard with all the different voices, though it did seem to work for the song for the most part. A new song, Where Are You Christmas?, was added to the movie as well. Cindy Lou sang it during the movie and Faith Hill sang the version that played during the closing credits.

Once again, the Grinch was the main character. The things shared from his childhood showed that he hadn’t been a happy, fun child either. He was grumpy, mean, and moody and his only friend was his dog Max. The Grinch had his reasons for not liking Christmas, some of which were tied back to something that happened when he was a child. I thought Jim Carrey was fine in the part overall, though he did go a bit overboard in some scenes. His performance is probably the biggest thing that people have a problem with.

Cindy Lou was a young girl who was questioning what the true meaning of Christmas was. She believed there was more to the holiday than buying tons of presents and she was searching for some conformation of that throughout the movie. Taylor Momsen was fine in the part. Her parts Lou Lou Who and Betty Lou Who were around in a few scenes without being that developed. Betty Lou was obsessed with Christmas decorations. Bill Irwin and Molly Shannon were fine in the parts.

Mayor Augustus Maywho wanted everything to be perfect for the Christmas celebration. He had his own very specific ideas about how things should be done and none of them included the Grinch in any way. The Mayor a bit conceited and I didn’t really like him. Jeffrey Tambour handled the part well. Martha May was the most elegant woman in town. Not a lot was shared about her beyond her skill with decorations and her connection to the Grinch from their childhood. Christine Baranski was fine in the part.

Main Cast

Christine Baranski - Martha May Whoiver
Jim Carrey - Grinch
Anthony Hopkins - Narrator
Clint Howard - Whobris
Bill Irwin - Lou Lou Who
Taylor Momsen - Cindy Lou Who
Molly Shannon - Betty Lou Who
Jeffrey Tambour - Mayor August Maywho

Ron Howard - Director

DVD Information

I have How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) on DVD. My copy is the widescreen collector’s edition DVD. I think there is also a full screen version available as well. There are several extras on the DVD. Max’s Playhouse features several games and a sing-a-long. There are some deleted scenes and outtakes. The spotlight on location shared a lot of information from the filming of the movie and explained how certain things were created for the movie. Who School showed how a group of performers came up with the somewhat unique way that the Whos moved. There were also short featurettes about the makeup application, set decorations, and visual effects. Faith Hill’s music video for Where are you Christmas? was also included. I did enjoy the extras and thought they were interesting. The widow of Dr. Seuss did briefly talk during one of them - I think it was the spotlight on location. From the little she said, it sounded like she liked the movie and thought her husband would have liked it as well.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) is a fun, entertaining Christmas movie. It isn’t the same as the cartoon version, but it is still entertaining. I enjoy both versions of the story and think this movie is worth seeing. This isn’t a movie for everyone though.

I would have given this movie three and a half stars if I had that option. Since I don’t, I decided to round up to four stars.


Christmas Movie Reviews
Bad Santa ~ Christmas with the Kranks ~ Deck the Halls ~ Die Hard ~ Die Hard 2: Die Harder ~ Elf ~ The Family Stone ~ Fred Claus ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) ~ The Ice Harvest ~ Just Friends ~ The Muppet Christmas Carol ~ National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ The Polar Express ~ The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ~ Scrooged ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12