How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Film

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the movie

The Plot

The Grinch does everything in his power to prevent the residents of Whoville from celebrating Christmas.

Starring

Jim Carey, Anthony Hopkins, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Josh Evans, and more.

The Review

Whoville gets a new resident; unfortunately the Whos don't take too kindly to the new resident and make him an outcast. After being shunned based upon his looks and his unusual behavior, he becomes bitter and angry and withdrawals from society.

For years, the resident, known as the Grinch, lives alone on top of a mountain that overlooks Whoville. And every time he hears their happy cheers, he grows more bitter, more angry, and more sad—until he can no longer take their happiness and is determined to ruin their Christmas once and for all.

But a little girl, by the name of Cindy Lou, gets the town to see the error of their ways while captivating the heart of the Grinch and things in Whoville will never be the same.

I have been a big fan of Dr. Seuss since I was a wee tot. His imagination, his poetry, and his drawings always spurred my imagination and reading his books always lifted my spirits.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the cartoon, was no exception. I looked forward to watching it every year. It really brought the story to life and the underlying message that Christmas was more about people than presents always touched my heart and made me more appreciative of the important things in life, like my mother.

But I have not always been a big fan of Jim Carey so when I heard that Jim Carey was going to be portraying the Grinch, I was very hesitant to see the film. In fact, I boycotted the theatre showing altogether.

Then we arrived at Universal Studios where they had a special "Grinchmas" celebration and the kids had so much fun that we had to see the film. And I am so glad that we did!

Although the film definitely caters to a more mature audience, I truly believe that the liberties the script writers take to add a back story to how the Grinch became bitter gives the story a nice twist and brings life to an age-old classic.

Jim Carey surprised me. His rendition of the Grinch is spot on! He does a great job of making the Grinch appear loony, bitter, and yes, eccentric. I will have to say, however, that he wasn't nearly as frightening as I thought he'd be and for that I am grateful.

By taming the scariness of the Grinch, we're able to enjoy the story in a whole new light. We're able to laugh at the outrageous behavior of the Grinch, be in shock when he lashes out with vengefulness, and feel compassion when he's hurting.

As for the costumes, the make-up, the set, and the special effects…truly magical, whimsical, and amazing! I didn't think anyone would ever be able to bring Dr. Seuss' designs to fruition, let alone so realistically, but the Ron Howard's team pulled it off beautifully! I can literally watch the film for the set design alone.

The bonus features on the 2-Disc Deluxe Edition, however, aren't worth upgrading for if you already own a copy of the film. It is as though the bonus material was thrown together at the last minute and put on the discs just to fill up space. In fact, they seem more like clips you'd show to draw interest for a much bigger production.

On disc one is the collector's edition of the film with the following bonus featurettes: a spotlight on location, deleted scenes, outtakes, "who school", make-up application and design, Seussian set decoration clip, visual effects, and a music video by Faith Hill of the song, "Where are you Christmas?"

On disc two is the deluxe edition of the film with the following bonus features: a commentary by Ron Howard, Who-liday recipes, and three Whobillation games.

Your Task

Cuddle up with your children and watch the film; when it's over, ask your children if Cindy Lou is right about Christmas. Do they understand that Christmas is more than the gifts, the decorations, and the holiday festivities? Ask them if those things weren't apart of Christmas, what would Christmas be?