Movie Monday - Merry Grinchmas!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas


Written by: Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman based upon the book by Dr. Seuss

Directed by: Ron Howard

Released: November 17, 2000 by Universal Studios

Rating: PG

Summary: Based on the book by the famous Dr. Seuss. Inside a snowflake exists the magical land of Whoville. In Whoville, live the Who's, an almost mutated sort of munchkinlike people. All the Who's love Christmas, yet just outside of their beloved Whoville lives the Grinch. The Grinch is a nasty creature that hates Christmas, and plots to steal it away from the Whos which he equally abhors. Yet a small child, Cindy Lou Who, decides to try befriend the Grinch.

I re-watched this the other night since I’ve had Christmas shoved down my throat since the first week of November. Seriously, I decorated the huge Christmas tree in the foyer where I work the first week of November, they started the Christmas music on the 12th, and my mother has been decorating since last week and there is now a wreath on my bathroom door. Oh, and a Christmas tree in the kitchen. And Santa on the front lawn. It’s almost enough to make me scream. But at least I’m almost done my Holiday shopping...

Anyways, I had a hankering to watch this movie and so I did. Sure, it took me two tries since I fell asleep the first time, but watch it I did.

I had forgotten how little Little J (of Gossip Girl fame) was when this movie was made. She’s tiny and not dressed as a hooch with raccoon eyes. And Jim Carey is hilarious.

It may just be me, but watching this after several years of not seeing it – it came out 10 years ago, I can’t believe it – but I never registered just how many sexual innuendos that there were in the movie. They weren’t obvious enough that younger kids would understand them, but watching it I did more than one double-take at what was said. But, this is something that most children’s movies do so that the adults dragged to see it aren’t ready to pluck their own eyeballs out by the end.

I had also forgotten how great this movie is. It can’t compare to the original, because, let’s face it, that’s a classic that will forever live on, but this is a fantastic adaptation of a book into a feature length movie. I can only imagine how hard it was to take a tiny book like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and stretching it to be over an hour and a half without destroying the entire thing. It’s almost like a Christmas miracle...

This movie, while it didn’t get me in the Holiday spirit, it did make me hate it slightly less for happening so soon. Right now, I’m just happy that no snow has stuck around for any length of time – fingers crossed. So, I’m going to give this movie an 8/10. It’s a great Christmas movie that’s good for the entire family.