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    How the Grinch Stole Christmas

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

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    A lot of people consider the live-action version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” to be a holiday classic, but have you really sat down and looked at it? If you scrutinize this film even a little bit, you’d see that the film falls apart. You know the story, originally based on the book by Dr. Seuss. “Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot... but the Grinch, who lived just north of Who-Ville, did NOT! ” Jim Carrey, donning some amazing and surprisingly expressive makeup plays the Grinch, a green, hairy, glass-eating, hazardous waste-loving, sarcastic and mean creature who decides to ruin the whole Christmas season for the residents of Who-ville.

    My brother is a big Dr. Seuss fan and had informed me numerous times that this film didn’t really capture the feel of the book, that it missed the point of the whole Christmas season. I told him he was simply too attached to the source material, that books are different from movies and that of course they had to change some details here and there. Now that I’ve sat down and watched this Ron Howard effort, I have to agree with him. What’s frustrating is that there are many elements that are incredibly well done and I can see how this could have worked and why everyone was on-board when they announced the project.

    Let’s begin with what works. I can’t comment enough on how good Jim Carrey looks as the Grinch. It brings me back to the wonderfully expressive makeup used in the original “Planet of the Apes”. Even though Carrey is covered head-to-toe in green paint, prosthetics and hair, he remains swift and expressive. The face in particular is a true marvel. His yellow eyes, the way the wrinkles in his face appear when he smiles that most devious and iconic smile, the way he is able to contort his face, it’s what every makeup artist dreams of. The visual greatness is not limited there. The Whos are very well done (I did not find them to be unsettling, I thought they looked great) and the sets are equally impressive. I loved seeing the wacky-looking bridges and machinery because it does feel like it is capturing the whimsical and fantastical source material. Even the costumes worn throughout are a lot of fun to see. They get more and more extravagant as it gets further along. Every frame of this film is packed to the brim with style.

    The problem lies with the plot. This movie feels incredibly padded. By adding two iconic songs and some lengthy descriptions of the Whos’ presents, Chuck Jones made the book into a 25 minute short. How much material then, did the writers have to add to more than triple the length to make this an hour and a half movie?! And what’s added; is it more of the most iconic parts of the film, the scenes where the Grinch steals Christmas? NO! It’s additional back story for the Grinch, which adds nothing to plot and in fact makes the movie contradict itself (I’ll get back to that) What is this contradiction in the film? Let me quote it directly: “The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason. ” Nope, not true. Many Whos know the reason for why the Grinch does not like Christmas. Are you ready for it? The mind-blowing explanation, the mystery that has plague Seussians ever since the book was written... it’s a titanic letdown. Apparently he was born evil, and also mistreated during Christmas time.

    I found that a lot of the material added made it go in all sorts of contradicting directions. Is the movie for children? If it is, why do we have jokes about key parties and the Grinch checking out sexy Whos? Is the movie supposed to be about the true meaning of Christmas, or are the Whos not supposed to know what it’s about? Not only are they quick to judge people on their appearance (since they make fun of the Grinch’s look multiple times) but apparently to the residents of Who-ville, Christmas is all about presents and sales, popularity contests and being more extravagant than your neighbour. What a selfish and materialistic holiday. Is the movie supposed to make us like the Grinch, or are we supposed to cheer for the residents of Who-ville? The Grinch is funny and he’s against the materialistic nature of the holiday. I can’t blame the Grinch for not liking Christmas because I also disliked the Whos’ celebration.

    Even the sweetest resident of Who-ville (Cindy-Lou Who, remember her from those three pages in the book? Now she’s a main character!) is so stupid she can’t tell the difference between Santa and the Grinch in a quickly-made Santa Suit. Then this film raises whole new levels of bewilderment when we see the REAL Santa shop up briefly too. Does he bring additional presents to everyone? Isn’t that kind of derivative? ARE presents the true meaning of Christmas then?

    There are some moments that I genuinely liked about “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, but I really don’t feel like it captures the book it’s based on, or even the season it’s meant to comment about. Technically it’s magic, but the story is a contradicting mess. I still have some small affection for it, but there’s nothing that this film brings to the table that you couldn’t find in the animated special from 1966. They knew it too because they jack several moments from that original story and throw them in here, even if they don’t fit. They managed to turn “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” into a bag of smelly socks, it’s downright embarassing. “How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas” is a movie that you THINK is great, but the more you look and really analyze it, the more you’ll realize is genuinely weak. (On Dvd, December 13, 2014)

    5
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    adamwatchesmovies@  25.12.2014 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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