penbar's Full Review: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The most memorable moment in director Ron Howard's "The Grinch" is an inside joke that only filmgoers who have seen Ang Lee's "Ice Storm" are likely to pick up on. Flashing for a brief second is a holiday "key party" in Whoville, where the adult Whos surreptitiously throw their keys in a basket, signifying the end-of-the-evening partner swap. Heady stuff indeed for a family film.
Unfortunately, though, that is where the memorable moments end. Dazzling sets, seamless physical transformations and whimsically designed costumes can't make up for Jim Carrey's over-bloated Grinch and a story line that sporadically veers too far from the simple, magical and time-tested tale as originally written by Dr. Suess.
Curiously, throughout the film, Mr. Carrey alters his voice more frequently than a Rich Little Vegas act, conjuring images of Sybill on drugs. At one point, if one closes their eyes, they would have no doubt that Sean Connery was squeezed into the Grinch.
In the original "Grinch", Whoville was a magical little town filled with kind-hearted and innocent country folk who truly understood the spirit of Christmas. In director Ron Howard's version, as written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman (who are both responsible for the 1999 "Wild Wild West" screenplay, which was another over-bloated and fantastical flop), taunting schoolmates were responsible for turning the young Grinch into a mean-spirited, vindictive evil adult. And hatred and fear toward the Grinch still infested most of Whoville, who have also turned Christmas into an orgy of extravagant gift-buying.
Feeling more like a vehicle for Jim Carrey (who annoyingly steps out of character several times to talk to the camera), who thinks he's doing a one-man performance piece, "The Grinch" is often so overtly mean-spirited, that parents who plan to flock their tiny tots to the theater this holiday season will more easily stave off nightmares by renting the 1966 classic, directed by Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff (also the voice of the Grinch).
Ultimately, the original message of Dr. Suess's "Grinch" is still left intact, but it's too little too late.
The only other bright spot in this otherwise tragically disappointing holiday film is the voice of Anthony Hopkins as the Narrator. With only a few short weeks left before 2001, this updated "Grinch" serves as another reminder that Y2K has been one of the most disappointing movie years of recent memory. Perhaps a rabbit may still be pulled from a hat, but I'm not holding my breath.
DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS *1/2
Genre: Family film/fantasy
Rating: PG
Running time: 102 minutes
Released by: Universal Pictures
Directed by Ron Howard. Written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on the book by Dr. Seuss. Produced by Brian Grazer and Mr. Howard.
Starring Jim Carrey (Grinch), Jeffrey Tambor (May Who), Christine Baranski (Martha May Whovier), Bill Irwin (Lou Lou Who), Molly Shannon (Betty Lou Who), Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou Who), Kelley (Max the Dog), Frank Welker (Voice of Max the Dog) and Anthony Hopkins (Narrator).
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