Blu-Ray Review: Gaudy ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ Lacks True Holiday Cheer

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CHICAGO – Just weeks before the opening weekend of Jim Carrey’s new “A Christmas Carol,” Universal has released a Blu-Ray + DVD combo pack of the nearly decade-old “Grinch” remake, featuring Carrey as the infamous Seussian Scrooge. The combination of Carrey’s star power and Theodor Geisel’s beloved source material assured the film’s massive box office success. But no matter how much dough it raked in, few family audiences actually seemed to like it. That’s because no one behind the camera had a clue about how to stretch this simple tale into a feature-length blockbuster.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0

The original “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas” was a half-hour cartoon first broadcast in 1966, featuring masterful narration from Boris Karloff, exuberantly funny animation from Chuck Jones, and classic songs written by Seuss and unforgettably performed by Thurl Ravenscroft. It remains one of the finest holiday films of all time, warming viewers’ souls like a cup of hot cocoa. In contrast, director Ron Howard’s live-action version gives viewers the kind of sugar high that causes instant headaches.

The film only works as a sketch pad for Carrey’s tireless invention. He is a marvel to watch, even under Rick Baker’s suffocating makeup, as he delivers one inspired comic bit after another (such as when he uses an onion for deodorant). But for the film’s first hour, Howard just seems content in allowing Carrey to mug for the camera without any regard to the story. You know you’re watching a lame Carrey vehicle when it resorts to a “Chariots of Fire” parody. But once the plot kicks in, the film grows even more tiresome. There’s an inane backstory detailing how the Grinch was picked on as a schoolboy, and a jarringly crude subplot involving his unlikely love interest (Christine Baranski, channeling Kathy Baker in “Edward Scissorhands”). Even Cindy Lou Who, played by future “Gossip Girl” Taylor Momsen, is a perky bore, remaining unflappable in the face of Grinchly gloom.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas was released on Blu-Ray/DVD on October 13th, 2009.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas was released on Blu-Ray/DVD on October 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

But the biggest misstep of the production was assigning Howard the task of directing it. He has consistently proven that his strengths lie in telling stories that are character-driven (“Parenthood,” “Frost/Nixon”) rather than plot-driven (“Willow,” “The Da Vinci Code”). Since there’s no real plot (or character) for Howard to sink his teeth into here, his direction comes off as painfully desperate.

Howard’s audio commentary actually provides insight into his deeply flawed approach to the material. His attempts to replicate Antoni Gaudi’s architecture (which inspired Seuss) in the production design just causes the sets to become cluttered. By keeping the camera moving at a frenzied pace, he makes the film’s energy and movement look forced and hollow. There’s no joy in watching a bunch of uncomfortable actors in grotesque makeup leering into a camera perched at exaggerated angles.

The most telling line in Howard’s commentary comes when he explains that everything onscreen had to be “run through the Seuss-o-meter,” thus turning Geisel’s original vision into a manufactured product. This material needed a director like Spike Jonze, with the ability to synthesize his fresh artistic approach with the author’s work, while taking the themes of the source material seriously. Howard’s film is too timid to take Geisel’s anti-commercialism message seriously, or explore any tangible emotion without the safety net of irony. The film’s reliance on excess transforms the story into a hypocritical endorsement of consumerist indulgence. These Whos are so fiercely materialistic that the audience ends up rooting for the Grinch when he tries burning down their town, Sodom-style.

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is presented in 1080p High-Definition (with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio) so clear that you can glimpse every termite in the Grinch’s smile. It’s accompanied by English, Spanish and French audio tracks, along with a passel of recycled featurettes, and the usual Universal BD-Live features. Carrey fans can use “My Scenes” to isolate their favorite comedy bits while ignoring the rest of the picture.

‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ is released by Universal Home Entertainment and stars Jim Carrey. It was written by Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman and directed by Ron Howard. It was released on October 13th, 2009. It is rated PG.

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

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