Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I don’t really know why people hate in this movie. Well, OK, maybe I get it a little bit. Aside from Suess’ book being a beloved and tiny masterpiece, there’s always the classic Chuck Jones cartoon, with Boris Karloff as narrator and the Grinch’s sly, sardonic voice and Jones at the peak of his artistic powers. What filmmaker can keep up?
OK, live-action isn’t really the best way to realize Suess’ quirky and whimsical world. 2008’s CG-animated “Horton Hears a Who” showed the possibilities better than Ron Howard’s live-action smash. But I have to say, watching it again (actually my first time since seeing it in theatres), I really do enjoy this film more than I should. Of course, since it was the film that really put me in the holiday spirit after my grandfather passed away in 2000. It’s a bold, visionary reworking of a classic tale.
That doesn’t mean Howard doesn’t make mistakes. Trying to explain The Grinch’s hatred for Christmas with pop-psychology, childhood trauma? Eh, it’s not very Suessian. And yeah, there is a bit of risque humor- like Who key parties and double entendres- but it doesn’t feel as out of place as you might expect, especially when you have actors like Jeffrey Tambor and Christine Baranski playing the mayor and town socialite Martha May, respectfully.
The film rises and falls on two performances. The first is newcomer Taylor Momsen as little Cindy Lou Who, whose Christmas cheer is waning. She just doesn’t feel it the way a Who should, and she thinks bringing the Grinch down from his isolation will help. Her heartbreak at her failure is palpable, but her endless optimism is delightful. I don’t know where Howard found her- or really, what she’s done since- but it’s just the type of performance that grounds the film when it hits blockbuster overdrive…
…and Jim Carrey goes over the top. Of course, when you’re playing a character so grotesque and sinister as The Grinch, there’s no other way to go, and Carrey does it in a cinch. This is the best of Carrey’s broad comedy performances other than another green-tinged role in “The Mask.” He doesn’t reach the depths of “The Truman Show,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” but it’s not what’s required, so really, who should mind?
(And yes, I know I’m starting to speak in Suessian rhymes, but if you can think of a better way to review a film like this, well, there aren’t many films like this, so save your complaints for other times. 🙂 )
Ron Howard cuts loose from his dramatic strengths (evident in “Apollo 13,” “Cinderella Man,” and “A Beautiful Mind”), and infuses his gifts for humane and sometimes irreverent comedy (“The Paper,” “Parenthood,” “Night Shift”) with a brilliant visual style (courtesy makeup artist Rick Baker, production designer Michael Corenblith, and cinematographer Don Peterman) that captures the delight of Suess’ vision and adds a bit of dark fantasy that reminds one of “The Wizard of Oz” and what was to come of “Harry Potter.” And regular composer James Horner has a beautiful theme in store to go with the sometimes mischievous tone he captures in the Grinch’s antics. It’s not really one of his best scores, but when that theme kicks in as The Grinch gets the strength of ten Grinches plus two (or, as I once said, “So that would be…twelve.”), you can’t help but get in the Christmas spirit.
And then there’s Max. Who knew a real dog could capture the spirit of a cartoon animal with such an unforgettable personality? No, the entire film can’t meet the bliss of Jones’ holiday masterpiece, but Carrey and Howard love the story too much to do it wrong like people say. And Anthony Hopkins is just the voice to tell this story in rhyme, making the Grinch a story you want to watch any time of year.
