Mean and Green

This classic tale, written by Dr. Seuss, has always been one of my favorites. I love the book and the animated show, which I have watched faithfully every year since I was a little girl. When I heard that a full-length motion picture was being made of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I couldn’t imagine how they would pull it off and I doubted seriously it would live up to my expectations. I was very pleasantly surprised!

The Set
Director (and Producer) Ron Howard did an excellent job making this movie. The set was spectacular, unlike anything I’ve seen before. The town of Whoville is very colorful and three-dimensional. The scenes taking place in the town square are very rich with a lot of activity. There is so much to look at and a lot of things are going on all at once. I had read an article that said you would have to see the movie several times before you would be able to catch what all is going on, and after seeing it, I understand what they mean.

The Costumes and Make-up
The Who’s of Whoville are very colorful characters, as well. The costumes and make-up were fantastic. No two Whos looked alike. On the busiest days of filming there were as many as 45 make-up artists on the set and there were well over 400 costumes designed for the characters. All of the adult Whos have distorted noses (I couldn’t figure out how some of them could breathe because the make-up was so elaborate), but the little Whos have not “grown into their noses” yet. All of the Whos, big and small, have the same large front teeth.

Jim Carrey
I am not a big fan of Jim Carrey. His silliness usually starts grating on my nerves very quickly. But I honestly cannot think of another actor that could have pulled off the role of The Grinch the way that Carrey did. He was perfect for this part. His make-up and costume were so elaborate, you won’t even recognize Carrey until he opens his mouth, and then there is no denying who it is.

Most of the funniest scenes in the movie were of The Grinch alone in his cave, or on the mountaintop, talking to himself or to his dog, Max. These are classic Carrey moments, with his usual slapstick humor.

Storyline (very minor details)
Anthony Hopkins does a great job of narrating throughout the movie, basically reading from the Dr. Seuss book. The storyline of the movie is basically the same as the book and cartoon, except we get to see through flashbacks how The Grinch came to Whoville as a baby, and how he was exiled from the town as a child. We learn how and why his heart became so small.

The story has a great message for children and adults. Little Cindy Lou Who is very concerned that the true meaning of Christmas has been lost. All of the other Whos seem to think that Christmas is about: buying the biggest, most expensive gifts; who has the nicest Christmas decorations and lights; and about parades and food. She tries very hard to get Whoville to remember the true meaning of Christmas. But no one is listening.

Recommendation
If you love the story of The Grinch, or you are a big Jim Carrey fan, then this is definitely worth seeing. A word of caution, however: don’t expect falling-off-your-chair humor all the way through, like you would expect of a Jim Carrey part. There are scenes that are very funny, but there are also moments that are serious and maybe even a little sad. And you have to keep in mind that this movie is based on a Dr. Seuss story, therefore you have to expect it to be silly and far-fetched.

This is definitely a movie you can take your children to. I went with three other adults and three children and we all enjoyed the movie. The plot and language are easy for children to follow, but not so childish that adults will be bored.

(If you plan to see this movie on the weekend, plan to get there very early because it is selling out quickly. The theater I went to was selling out up to 3 hours before the showings.)