The Grinch Reviewby Tim Wick

I have to say that going in to this movie I had a lot of baggage - positive and negative.

I love the TV version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (it is on my top ten toon list for good reason). Something about that particular 30 minutes really gets me in the holiday mood. Going in, I couldn't imagine the film would be able to capture the heart of the animated story. But I tried to stay focused on the film for the film's sake and not compare it to other treatments of the source material.

On the other hand, I'm one of those people who actually really enjoys Jim Carrey as an actor and a comedian. Because of that, I was looking forward to his portrayal of the Grinch. He seemed the perfect choice.

Finally, the film is directed by Ron Howard. One of my top ten favorite films is Apollo 13 and Howard directed that film. Although his track record is not as good as - say - Spielberg, it's still a pretty good one (Splash, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, etc.) Given his previous material, he seemed well equipped to helm a production of the Suess classic.

All in all, I was pulling for this film from the moment I walked into the theatre. Much as I may love the cartoon, there is room in my heart for a great live action film to stand with it. The film would have had to really work hard to earn my disrespect.

And lord how hard it worked. I can't tell you at what moment I finally gave up on the movie because I kept telling myself that it would get better. That it bore only a cursory resemblance to the cartoon would have been forgivable had the changes that were made been anything but pointless.

I was reminded of the way I felt when I watched Hook the first time. Great Director, Great Actors, Great premise but somehow the movie collapsed under the weight of what it was trying to do. Grinch gave me that same sinking feeling right about the time that Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Monsen) sang the obligatory cute little girl song that has plagued us since Shirley Temple first trod the boards of Hollywood. For those of you that recall Hook, there is a moment where a little girl sings a plaitive, sweet song that probably had you looking at your watches. I have no doubt this kind of cheap, manipulative trick works on at least five or six people, but it doesn't work on anyone I know.

Also like Hook, the art direction seemed well done at first, but lost it's lustre as the film progressed. Your first view of Whoville and the whos is certainly delightful, but that delight doesn't last because at some point, Whoville seems plain. Perhaps it is because of the Grinch's lair, which is so bizzare that the Whos seem normal by comparison. Perhaps it is just too much style and not enough substance.

If I started going into all the issuues I have with the plot, this review would be filled with spoilers. So without going into details, think about this: they had to pad the cartoon with songs because the Suess story was far too short to fill out a half hour cartoon (with commercials). The movie is one hour and fourty five minutes long. Just imagine how many useless scenes can be crammed into a film given that amount of time. Well nothing you can imagine will prepare you for the innane plot contrivances that serve only to help make this film longer.

Of course, what is typically done is that Jim Carrey is given a chance to provide us with some comic high points. That woule be fine if those high points hadn't fallen flat. It wasn't just me. Most of the "jokes" that padded the film got little more than a chuckle from the audience. I'm not sure why, but Carrey just wasn't working with his best stuff when he made this movie. He tried. I'll give him high marks for that. I don't think he could get past the scripted material though.

What is good in the film? The Grinch makeup is terrific and there are certainly times where Carrey is suitably Grinchy. His performence almost seemed to be a desperate attempt to salvage the film. He used every trick in the book - even if they didn't really fit into the movie. Every genuine laugh belonged to Carrey finding some way to make a flat film just a bit better.

A few scenes are actually moving, such as when the Grinch launches into a passionate tirade about the commercialism of Christmas. For a brief, shining moment, the movie had the heart of the book. That moment faded all too quickly, but served as a reminder of the potential that was being wasted.

If I am overly harsh on this film, it is because of how good it COULD have been. I am genuinely angry at the people responsible for this movie because they robbed me of what should have been an enjoyable night at the movies. I didn't expect to see the best film of the year, but I did expect to be entertained. With very few exceptions, I was not.

The Grinch

Two Beakers
(out of five)

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