HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) / ***
Directed by Ron Howard. Screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S Seaman, based on the book by Dr. Seuss. Starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor. Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG by the MFCB. Reviewed on December 16th, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
I have mixed feelings about the new big-screen version of Dr Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". Don't get me wrong -- it's a very funny, very entertaining movie, and kids and adults alike should enjoy it. No, my problem (such as it is) is that, if I had to associated one name with the film, it would not be Dr Seuss'. Undeniably, that name would be Jim Carrey's.
More so than any of his previous pictures, Carrey owns "The Grinch". All its wit, drama, energy is derived from him. When Carrey isn't on-screen, the movie loses much of its appeal; it feels like a symphony missing its brass and string sections, both at once. And this is a problem only inasmuch as it makes a liar out of the film's advertising: this is not Dr Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", but rather the same story filtered through Carrey's singular sense of humour.
Carrey, of course, plays the Grinch -- a green, hairy creature who lives atop fang-like Mount Crumpit, in a home littered with the garbage of the Whos. The Whos live in Whoville, at the base of the mountain, and they are as unlike the Grinch as it is possible to be. Where the Grinch is mean and scornful, the Whos are happy and carefree. And no time is more full of jollity in Whoville than Christmastime. Christmas is part of every apsect of the Whos' lives. They decorate for it, sing songs about it, and most importantly, they shop for it. Every Who loves Christmas.
Every Who, that is, except little Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), who has begun to question just why all the presents and ornaments and parades are supposed to make her happy. When none of the other Whos understand her concerns, Cindy Lou seeks out the one person she thinks might feel the same way: the Grinch. But in doing so, Cindy Lou reawakens old memories in the Grinch, of childhood rejection by town beauty Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranski) and humiliation by Mayor May Who (Jeffrey Tambor). This inspires the Grinch's infamous plot to steal Christmas from Whoville.
If there's one element of the story that director Ron Howard managed to keep true to Dr Seuss' vision, it is its actual appearance. Dr Seuss books are famous for their slightly off-kilter visual style, and Howard and production designer Michael Corenblith have not departed too much from "The Grinch"'s Seussian origins. The Whos look like regular humans, just a little warped (they have strange hairstyles, big noses, and rosy cheeks). Whoville is not dissimilar from a regular town -- if that town's chief architect had been Rube Goldberg. Everything is a riot of colour and activity and Christmas.
Also well conceived is Carrey's Grinch costume. Not only does this hew very closely to the Dr Seuss original, it also permits Carrey an almost full range of movement and facial expressions. And, given the animation the actor puts into his role, this is of key importance. Had the decision been made simply to slap Carrey in a mask, for example, "The Grinch" would not be nearly so successful.
The Grinch may be for Jim Carrey what the Genie in "Aladdin" was for Robin Williams: the ultimate expression of the actor's comic strengths. Carrey has it all here -- a character who is at once caustic and sympathetic, who is unbridled in what antics he can indulge himself in. Carrey's humour ranges from the obvious to the sublime (when a Whoville taxi won't stop to pick him up, he facetiously wails, "It's because I'm GREEN, isn't it?"). Only occasionally does he resort to sophomoric gross-out comedy. There are hints of several past Carrey characters in the Grinch -- definite helpings of Ace Ventura, for example, and the Hank persona from "Me, Myself & Irene" -- leading one to believe that this is the role Carrey's comedic career has been building up to.
Unfortunately, though, none of the other performers can hope to match up. Tambor in particular tries gamely, but his Mayor lacks much depth. As for Momsen, she does passably well in the film's second-most important role, but fails to make as strong an impression as she should. Cindy Lou is made out to be intelligent and individualistic, but Howard seems far too interested in just playing up her cuteness. Anthony Hopkins, meanwhile, makes a good successor to Boris Karloff as the Narrator. His precise, sonorous tones sweep the audience instantly into the tale.
The Dr Seuss book has, of course, been greatly expanded in order to turn it into a feature-length film. Amongst the more notable additions made by screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S Seaman are a series of flashbacks to the Grinch's own youth, providing motivation for the character's nasty ways. Intriguingly, this somewhat subverts the original Seuss story, moving it away from its obvious Dickensian roots. Instead of simply telling the tale of a mean man who discovers joy in the spirit of Christmas, "The Grinch" is now more about accepting people's differences (although the original moral has not been totally dismissed, either). Combined with its staunchly anti-commercial streak, the film feels both more relevant and more substantial as a result.
Although some have suggested that "The Grinch" is too dark and mean-spirited for children, I don't believe this is really the case. Parents of very sensitive children may find the film inappropriate, but in general, it is suitable for the entire family, with plenty to offer young and old. Those who are approaching the movie expecting it to simply be the book (or 1960s TV version) writ large may be caught off-guard by the pervasiveness of Carrey's influence. But Carrey fans, and Seuss afficiandos prepared to accept a mild departure from the source material, should find "The Grinch" to be a hugely entertaining Christmas movie.
So go see "The Grinch", and just you wait and see: Yes, even your heart might grow a size, or two, or three.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/TheGrinch.html
_______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
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