Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
Customer Reviews:
Sell out cinema.......2007-12-03
The Grinch feels like a movie made for two reasons: to cash in on Christmas. And to cash in on Dr Seuss.
The movie lacks charm. Nothing really works within it. Carrey's performance is tolerable, but I think Seuss would be mortified at how they've portrayed his character. The Whos of Whoville are some of the creepiest make-up jobs I've ever seen. Although I'm not surprised they made it screen looking this eerie, since Ron Howard is the director, and I've yet to be impressed by anything he's put on screen.
The one saving grace of this film is some really nice portrayals of Christmas-y landscapes. They do a great job of evoking that warmth and wonder of Christmas season.
Aside from that, this is a pretty bad film, and the over-sentimentality is almost nauseatting. Seriously, no movie ever need be this mawkish. I didn't enjoy this film much at all.
total rubbish!.......2005-10-31
This film was a complete and total disappointment. I was so bored I fell asleep through the majority of the film. The best bit is at the very beginning as the story unfolds but after that ....a wash out! I never want to see this film again!
Pleasantly surprised by its brilliance!.......2003-12-31
I'm not a fan of Jim Carrey and the fact that he was the star of this movie put me off it. However, hearing good reviews from family I decided to bite the bullet and watch it. I was astounded! Here I was laughing out loud - to a Jim Carrey film! I couldn't believe it!
This is really fantastic - a word I thought I would never use in relation to Carrey. The whole film is a treat and will certainly get you in a Christmassy mood and in touch with what is important in life.
Buy it and laugh till the tears run down your cheeks!
See it, see it, see it!!.......2003-12-27
~"The Grinch that stole christmas" was one of my favourite childhood books, and for that reason I was dubious about this movie. I'm a big Jim Carrey fan and all, but I didn't think a film would capture the essence of the story (The essential Grinch-ness?) or would maybe be to saccharine.
I shouldn't have worried.
The jokes hit the spot every time. There is a bit of adult humour, sure, there is also quite a bit of toilet humour but it works. Believe me, I know. I've watched it at least twice~~ a week since I got it four months ago. There is nothing too disgusting and there are some on the floor laugh-out-loud moments. Carrey is fantastic as the Grinch, turning in an affecting performance and making the watcher care about the character who is, in effect, the bad guy.
Taylor Momsen as Cindy is easily the best choice for this role. Maybe not exactly the Cindy Lou of the book, but she makes the part her own.
The rest of the cast bring substance to the characters the play, even~~ though~~ they don't really have a lot of screen time. The eccentric Seuss-ian world is brought to life in a mix of colour, noise (NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!), and classic performances.
If you like Carrey, you'll love this. If you don't, give it a try.
Who knows? This film could change your entire outlook.~
Carrey in overdrive (apparently the only gear he has).......2003-12-27
Being no fan of Jim Carrey, I expected to thoroughly detest this movie, and I didn't. It was watchable - a mite hypocritical, perhaps, being a (somewhat) buried morality tale about the crass commerciality of Christmas Present (if you'll excuse the pun), but all the same aimed to cash in on the Christmas cinema market.
Jim Carrey is, despite three inches of latex, fur and green spray paint, distressingly recognisable as Jim Carrey, and hardly recognisable as Dr Suess' Grinch: as hilarious as Jim Carrey usually is - if you like Jim Carrey - but not quite as irritating as Jim Carrey can be - if you don't - since the green prosthetics severly inhibit his annoying tendency to gurn.
Other than that, it's a fairly jaunty Christmas Tale, saved from utter unctuousness by a welcome vein of sardonism, but otherwise it should be left at that.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Jim Carrey is up to all his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a live-action film of Dr Seuss's holiday classic. Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, he commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos and improvisational genius, channelling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small". Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realises the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a film can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages five and older.) --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com.
On the DVD: You'd be hard pushed to cram any more special features on to this disc: as well as four deleted scenes, there's over an hour of behind the scenes featurettes. From a documentary about the stunts, the Oscar-winning make-up and how the team visually translated Dr Suess' festive tale to the screen, to a segment on the visual effects and CGI, allowing you to follow the filmmaker's process from beginning to end. And just when you think you have filled up on Grinchy extras there's another menu with the cinema trailer, "Wholiday" recipes, statistics about the film, cast and crew biographies, a trailer for the PlayStation game and the Faith Hill music video "Where are you Christmas". In a bid not to exclude the kids in this DVD bonanza, the Grinch's canine chum takes you through "Max's Playhouse" including interactive games and music, Dress the Grinch, a read-along story and a rhyming game. The candy-cane colours of the Christmas-obsessed town of Whoville shine brightly in anamorphic widescreen; the Dolby 5.1 Soundtrack will fill your house with festive cheer; and the intelligent commentary from Ron Howard give you some great behind the scenes info. --Kristen Bowditch
DVD:
- The Incredible Hulk [1966]
- The Long, Long Trailer [1954] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The New Adventures of Superman (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Princess and the Pirate [1944] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Set-Up [1949] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Trigger Effect [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Thomas and Friends - Steam Team
- Tom And Jerry Tales Vol.1
- Transformers - Armada - Vol. 3
- Transformers - Takara - Headmasters
DVD List
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The Grinch
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The Santa Clause 2 [2002]
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Christmas with the Kranks [2004]
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