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The Grinch (Widescreen Edition)

The Grinch (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jim, you did it again!
Review: Back in 1960, Boris Karloff and his crew brought the world a great present from the files of Dr. Seuss. He brought us "Ho the grinch stole christmas". It touched our hearts and made us laugh, especially that delightful song. When news came out that they were going to be making a live action version of the Seuss classic starring Jim Carrey as the green and furry monster on Mount Krumpit, many were skeptical. Well those people were terribly wrong!

So many people thought they new the story of the Grinch, but they were wrong. Sure, it's all still there; Grinch hates the Whos, is really mean, steals Christmas etc. But in Ron Howard's version (by the way, he does a fabulous job at directing this) there's a lot more meat that the cartoon did not have. That was always my problem with the cartoon, it was so magnificent but it should have been longer! Well, the stroy in this version focusses a lot more on the hatred between the Grinch and the Whos reflecting way back to his childhood. Those are some of the greatest scenes in the movie, when he is a child because it is so well done, you actually find the Grinch, well, cute. Another great child in the film is the girl playing little Cindy Lou Who. She is absolutely adorable and I'm sure many would agree. The scenery is also great because it brings this magical world of Seuss alive!

Well, I guess that's it...wait...am I forgeting something? OF COURSE! JIM CARRY! How could I forget. The wacky comedian shines greater here than he has ever before. HE gives himself a complete transformation here. There is no Ace ventura, there is no Mask, Cable Guy or Liar Liar here! There is only GRINCH! From what I understand, wearing all that amke-up was an excrutiating task for Mr. Carrey (but hey, for 20 million dollars, I'd set myself on fire!) and yet he still does a fantasti job! He add libs a lot here and it makes the movie! I actually found myself laughing quite hard in many of the scenes in this film. That point was made for parents who think this is just a kids movie. NO WAY! It's fantastic for anyone because of Carrey. He brings all sorts of comedy here! But he isn't just doing silly little jokes throughout the movie, he's doing a great acting job and, frankly, I was quite mad that he didn't get any recognition for it. This is the third time that the Academy has looked over him!

Well, that is it! I can't tell you anymore about how perfect this film is without being repetitive. Jim Carrey is excellent and this stroy could never be told so perfectly again after this film! Take the family and see this one! It's worth it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Classic!
Review: I believe that all of the tales you have been hearing of this movie not living up to it's standards, are untrue. Wheather you have read the book or liked the book, this movie is a fascinating Chrismas classic. I , for one loved the film and believed it to be great. You don't have to be younger to appreciate all the creative lines and speacial effects. I am not going to make a list of why this movie was wonderful, or not wonderful. I just hope that you will take my word that if you love Christmas movies and imaginative stories, than this movie is definately for you!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Unless You¿re Twelve, The Grinch Might Bore You In A Cinch
Review: "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is a beloved children's tale. In the late fifties, Chuck Jones turned the popular book into a now classic 30 minute cartoon for Television. Boris Karloff's vocal performance and narration are a part of modern pop folklore... And now, more than forty years later, Ron Howard has taken the next obvious step in securing the story as a staple of holiday family fun. He's turned it into a big budget live action motion picture starring Jim Carrey. But how do you expand a 32-page storybook with big drawings from a thirty-minute short into a full length feature? Very simple, really. You pad it as much as you can. For the live-action adaptation, screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman have added a peculiar origin story, a romantic subplot and they've beefed-up some of the characters. Turning little Cindy Lou Who (played by newcomer Taylor Momsen) from a minor plot device into a major character. And giving the grinch a kind of antagonist in the form of Whoville's mayor (Jeffrey Tambor) Ultimately, the end result is pretty much a big technicolor headache. But kids will love it anyway... Bottom line: Would you want to see it?

Here are the five valid reasons for wanting to see "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

1. IT'S A HOLIDAY TREAT THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN ENJOY - But then again, there's something so utterly creepy about the whole thing. The production design is staggeringly elaborate. And Rick Baker's make-up is great-looking... Er, in a manner of speaking. Ron Howard's intention is to basically put Dr. Seuss' surreal world right up there on the screen. And he accomplishes this. Whoville is a magical place that exists inside a snowflake... Fine. And, in an attempt to put Seuss' characters on the screen as accurately as possible, the actors all are made up to look as bizarre as in Seuss' peculiar drawings... Couple that with their mild mannerisms and tacky life and speech patterns ("Boy! That one's in a heck-uva-rush!") and what you have is a world of mutated geeks. It's like if there was a nuclear meltdown in Fargo.

2. JIM CARREY IS TERRIFFIC - Yes he is. The effort is admirable. To undergo such an arduous make-up session and wear that uncomfortable body suit and then use all the comic energy he can muster to pull off such an energetic, carefully controlled and balanced performance, that deserves many kudos. Carrey becomes the grinch, pure and simple. And he makes him interesting and multi-dimensional. But at the same time, he makes the grinch so slyly sympathetic that you WANT him to trash Whoville as soon and as mercilessly as possible.

3. IT'S FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING - Um... Not really. Jim Carrey is fun to watch, and the rest of the cast attempts to play on their established personas. Molly Shannon, as one of Whoville's residents, channels some of that slapstick shtick that has made her popular on Saturday Night Live. Christine Baranski, as the love of the grinch's life, is tarty, ditzy and suggestive playing the love interest in a movie that never required such a thing. Jeffrey Tambor is cast, as ususal, as an obnoxious oaf. But the truth is, none of them are particularly funny. And Momsen as Cindy Lou is cute without being very memorable. The only supporting player that I enjoyed watching was the grinch's dog Max. And I think kids films are best when they appeal to all ages. This one is just for the kiddies. If that.

4. RON HOWARD'S STYLIZED VISION IS REMINISCENT OF THE WORK OF TIM BURTON - But nowhere near as interesting or creative. It's crossed my mind that the studio brass may have at one point been thinking that this was a project tailor-made for Burton. And in the flashback scenes showing the grinch as a hairy and green little monster boy being mocked by his schoolmates, the dark moody atmosphere is reminiscent of, say, "The Nightmare Before Christmas." But the fact is, you may as well watch that movie instead. Burton probably turned this movie down because he would have preferred to do his own thing. In Burton's hands, this film may have become a dark twisted yuletide nightmare masterpiece... But this is not the intention of Seuss or Universal Pictures. The studio wants a pleasant family film. Which further confuses the issue as to why the film is so eerie and unappealing anyway. At least Burton would have gone all the way and, crying kids and all, you have to respect that level of conviction.

5. ANTHONY HOPKINS IS IN IT - Oh yes... That's his voice narrating all right. And all of that was done in one day. His face never appears. And if you're that hungry (pun intended) for Hopkins, there's always "Hannibal."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Grinch Made It!
Review: In this live-action adaptation of the famous Christmas tale by Dr. Seuss, director Ron Howard casts comedian Jim Carrey in the title role, giving this rendition of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS a perverse, manic spin. Add great special effects and thiswell-loved story of a freakish green monster living in a mountainside cave who disguises himself as Santa Claus and burglarizes every single house in the adorable village of Whoville on Christmas Eve becomes a hilarious holiday comedy.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: good presentation, but the film lacks substance & integrity
Review: The production quality of this movie, from the special effects to the sets and costumes, was big-budget good. It is clear that a lot of effort and creativity went into making this film. There were even some musical numbers. Taylor Momsen played a cute Cindy Lou Who. The Grinch's dog Max was commendably well-trained and funny.

For all of the above reasons, I would like to give _The Grinch_ a high rating. Unfortunately, I can't. The filmmakers took the delightful Dr. Seuss story, mangled it, and filled it up with inappropriate rubbish. The innocent sweetness of Whoville's citizens was replaced by materialistic back-stabbing shallowness. There was sometimes-not-so-subtle sexual innuendo. (This was supposed to be a children's movie, not _Dude, Where's My Car?_.) And although the Grinch ended up joining the Whos' whobilation, his selfish and mean-spirited antics were not reformed even in the end.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that this movie compromised the integrity of the classic story, removed or obscured any substance, and reduced it all to a mess of bad jokes and one-liners. Stick with the old cartoon and avoid this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Entertaining and Good Remake of Dr. Seuss' Story
Review: DR. SEUSS' THE GRINCH is a entertaining holiday movie. The new additions to the story are not necessary, but, to make it from 45 minutes long to a feature length movie, it had to be added. The additions do not hurt the picture but I would rather have left them out. Jin Carrey is wonderful as the Grinch and Taylor Momsen is good as the little Cindy Lou Who. The scenery is wonderful. Some scenes terribly do not belong in the movie like the beginning when the Who kids sneak up to the Grinch's mountain and the explosion of the car and the unfortunate addition of the terrible cliche music. It is a spoof- and spoofs don't belong in this movie. Anyway, I recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FUNNY! GENIUS! RON HOWARD, THIS IS BY FAR YOUR BEST FILM!
Review: I coudln't believe how funny this was. Especially when Jim Carry made a quip about "kids today" being desensitized by television and other stuff. Little Cindy Lou Who is a cute character. Taylor Momsen you did great. Jim Carry deserves an award. This has got to be his best movie. Sure THE MASK and THE TRUMAN SHOW are good, this one is the best. The sets are straight out of a fairy tale. The buildings look like they're made out of candy. Funny looking mirrors and everything. The cinematography is excellent. The visual effects are great. The opening sequence with the suposed camera moves into a drifting snowflake and heads toward Whoville. Excellent work by whoever did the visual effects for this movie. The music is pretty good to. I especially like the "Where Are You Christmas?" song by Faith Hill. Back to the chase now. To sum this up. Excellent performances, stunning cinematography, good set design, and innovative visuals. This is a great holiday classic to make you squel with laughter. Congratulations Ron Howard.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: At last, a good Christmas movie!
Review: Thumbs way down to Ebert and Roeper's review of this movie. Jim Carrey was superb as the Grinch. The art direction was excellent, and it was a very funny film. But the most important aspect of it to me, is that nobody throughout the entire movie mentioned the name Jesus. I'm very happy that Ron Howard stayed true to Dr. Seuss's original conclusion, that Christmas is about giving and sharing, instead of materialism (much less religion). The Grinch is definitely an Academy Award contender in my opinion.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A new holiday classic
Review: I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much for the film, but it was a delightful surprise.

Carry and Ron Howard pull off a great film that has comic material for both adults and children. The set and costumes are amazing, particularly when they so well recreate a living version of the 2D story book and TV show. Howard stays true to the Suess story with only a slight deviation to explore why the Grinch came to hate Christmas so much. Anthony Hopkins provides a storybook narration of the story throughout the film, and Carey does an amazing job of bringing the Grinch to life. His facial expressions and body language are Grinch-personified and his improv at times was hysterical (such as the scene where he imitates Ron Howard while directing Max the dog). Cindy Lou and Max provide many "cute" moments, and of courses there's the Grinch songs we've all grown up with.

For children, there are two fundamental messages this film portrays: (1) Christmas is more than just presents and (2) People's actions and words can have a profound impact on others both in a negative way (what happened to the Grinch to make him hate Christmas) as well as positive (what Cindy Lou did to reach out to the Grinch in kindness). These are important messages at a time when Christmas can be over-commercialized.

One fun fact - the scene with the Grinch talking to Max the dog as a director was all improv by Carrey. He apparently was imitating Ron Howard with his baseball cap and all.

Great movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wonderfully Amusing Film
Review: "The Grinch" starring Jim Carrey was a wonderfully amusing film. The story begins in the town of Whoville with the citizens preparing for the upcoming Christmas holiday festival with shopping, package mailing and celebrating. There's a joyous atmosphere until the town meets to nominate one citizen to lead the annual Christmas festival. When the Grinch's name is mentioned, the Mayor and citizen's are taken aback. The Grinch, it is told, is a mean reclusive creature who inhabits the steep mountain above Whoville and absolutely hates Christmas and holiday cheer. He will do anything to ruin Christmas for the town of Whoville and his name should never be mentioned.

The story continues with a little girl named Cindy Lou Who. While trying to find the true meaning of Christmas, Cindy Lou attempts to befriend the Grinch. True to his character, The Grinch continues upon his schemish plans to rob the citizens of Whoville of their Christmas celebrations.

The hilarious rumblings of Jim Carrey fit perfectly with the character of Grinch. It's easy to recognize Carrey's style in this film. This film is a must see for children and adults.


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