Review: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Rating

Director

Ron Howard

Screenplay

Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman (Book: Dr. Seuss)

Length

1h 44m

Starring

Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard, Josh Ryan Evans, Mindy Sterling, Rachel Winfree

MPAA Rating

Review

It’s that time of year again when the big studios push out their holiday lineup in hopes that Santa will bring them a box office gift. Disney learned their lesson with the disappointing box office for “102 Dalmatians,” however Universal received the biggest present of all. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” is destined to become the biggest Christmas film of all time.

Everyone knows the tale of Whoville and the Christmas that almost wasn’t. Jim Carrey plays the titular Grinch who, out of his own cruel selfishness, wants to punish the people who humiliated him as a child. This last part is probably the only non-original portion in the film. It explains that because he grew hair early in his adolescence that a desperately frightful accident makes him the laughing stock of the Whoville elementary. It takes the innocence of young Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) to thaw the Grinch’s heart.

We all know the tale and we’ve almost all seen the animated television program based on the same book. Dr. Seuss took great pride in his children’s stories and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is probably one of his most meaningful. The problem is that in its trek to the big screen, Universal managed to tear the story apart and rebuild it as a comedy vehicle for moneymaker Carrey.

Carrey plays the ‘mean one’ with his usual comic flair, which can actually be considered a problem. In an effort to insure that audiences who came to see Carrey saw him on the screen, they forced him to belie his terrific dramatic ability and ham it up for a younger audience. His talent has been wasted since his stellar turns in “Doing Time on Maple Drive,” “The Truman Show” and “Man on the Moon.”

Unfortunately, Carrey will always be the lovable loser with the rubbery face. The public wants to see it and if they don’t get it, he doesn’t get paid. Ideally, Carrey would be known for his dramatic ability, rather than his comic side.

The true revelation is Momsen whose innocent face melts the Grinch’s icy heart. She’s not perfect, but her effort is notable. It’s hard to stand with Carrey and not look small, but her diminutive nature is the perfect foil for Carrey’s large exuberance.

One of the more interesting elements is that along with the traditional “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” introduced in the television show, they’ve added some other rather interesting songs. The most memorable is “Why Can’t I Find You, Christmas,” sung by Momsen as she tries to understand what the season is all about. The rest of the score is neither truly memorable, nor extremely special.

The story’s message has always been that Christmas isn’t about baubles and trinkets or Santa and trees, it’s about celebration and joy. The problem is that the film collapses under the sheer weight of Carrey’s performance and the additional story elements. Director Ron Howard tries nobly, but with someone as huge as Carrey looming over the production, it’s hard to keep him in control long enough to extricate the meaning.

Awards Prospects

Look for potential nominations in Makeup, Visual Effects, Art Direction and Costume Design. There’s even a remote possibility that one of the songs could be nominated.