12 Movies of Christmas: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Hello, Bloggers, welcome to a new month-long segment called 12 Movies of Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho! For this segment, I will do 12 movies every other day leading up to Christmas, starting now. For today's review, I will discuss a modern-day retelling of a classic children's story: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

                                 Story:
                         The Grinch is about the town of Whoville that is absolutely crazy over Christmas. Everybody except for the Grinch (Jim Carrey) who lives alone up on a high mountain that he lived in since he was a child. But one little girl named Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) looks to not only rejuvenate the Grinch's Christmas spirit but get her family and the rest of the town to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

                          What I Liked About It:
                         Now, what I really liked about this movie was how it was not only faithful to the source material, but it expanded on it. It created a backstory for The Grinch and why he is the way he is, and the character of Cindy Lou Who is expanded on as well. Also, it keeps the same theme as the original story, which is that Christmas doesn't just come from gifts, but people joining together to create joy and kindness.

                         I also really liked Jim Carrey's portrayal of The Grinch. Honestly, I always forget that it's Jim Carrey playing the character. It's probably because of how he hides under all that makeup and changes his voice. But he still manages to do his usual Jim Carrey routine which I love seeing. He even has a tender dramatic moment near the end. The film's supporting players also do a fine job, including Taylor Momsen, Bill Irwin, who plays Cindy Lou's dad, Christine Baranski, who plays the Grinch's love interest, Martha May, and one of the industry's finest character actors, Jeffrey Tambor, who plays the Grinch's nemesis Mayor Maywho.

                         What I Didn't Like About It:
                        Nothing.

                         Consensus:
                        Overall, Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a wonderful adaptation of the material it's based on that is faithful to it and really expands on it. It has wonderful performances from the cast, especially Jim Carrey, and is a wonderful treat to watch on Christmas. Whether you've read the book or not, I would highly recommend this!

Rating: 4.5/5