Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Cindy Lou Who: Kick-Ass Chick in the making.

As the citizens of Whoville prepares to celebrate Christmas, little Cindy Lou Who feels lost amid the crass, materialistic frenzy that has overtaken everyone around her. In her attempts to reclaim the magic of the season she comes across the mystery of the Grinch causing her to seek him out. She hopes that in discovering the secret behind his hatred for the holiday, she can help him -- and herself -- rediscover the true meaning spirit of Christmas.

How do you improve upon perfection?

That's the question that springs to mind when comparing this film version to the animated original. Ron Howard seems to believe that you fill in some glossed-over points, add in a subplot about intolerance, and give a cute kid that was barely mentioned in the cartoon a larger, more involved role. The first is okay, the second works out all right, but the last bit is simply inspired.

I will admit that the name Jim Carrey in a cast list usually produces "run away" signals in my brain mostly because I don't think he's funny. As in so not-funny that it causes my left eye-lid to twitch and my right hand to clench up into a fist, ready to strike should I ever meet the man. But I figured, hey, I don't have to see him, right? It won't be so bad. Plus, Sarah and I had seen a short scene from the movie back at Comic-Con and I didn't accidentally/mistakenly punch anyone out there so I felt reasonable sure I could enjoy the movie without becoming the center of riot.

Well, I'm sitting here writing this review in my home instead of, say, a holding cell, so no riot. But that's probably only because Carrey's scenery-chewing antics as the Grinch were quickly forgotten in the presence of the fully fleshed out character of Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen). In contrast to Carrey's mugging for the camera, Momsen radiated intelligence, compassion, and pure joy as the little girl who knows that she doesn't have to fear that which is different from her.

The next incarnations of Maria and Michael's hairdos on Roswell.

There's no stopping Cindy Lou Who once she starts upon her path of enlightenment. She questions adults, she confronts the Grinch in his lair, and speaks her mind despite attempts to intimidate her. New experiences for her are exciting adventures, not causes for girly-screams and tears. If nothing else, this addition to the story was well done.

Unlike the Whos of the animated version, the film-Who's are portrayed as having perhaps lost the real meaning of Christmas amidst all the glitz associated with the holiday. In other words, they're us. While a valid point, it seemed a bit superfluous and ended up seeming as if it was added to just a way to show more of the cool Whoville sets as well as stretch out the story a bit. While the moral is the same, the subtle manner in which the animated version makes its point is much superior in this respect.

Although marketed -- and originally conceived -- as a kid's story, I don't think I'd recommend it for children. The childhood of the Grinch is unnecessarily disturbing. That the Grinch turned out to be as malevolent as he did is no wonder considering the cruelty he suffered at the hands of the Who-children when he himself was just a tyke. To add insult to injury, his caretakers literally abandon him to his fate when he is still too young to be expected to take care of himself. What the hell kind of parenting and teaching is acceptable in Whoville anyway?

While I applaud the idea of a brave little Cindy Lou Who, next year, when my niece pulls out the film and animated versions and asks me which one I want to see... I'll be listening to Boris Karloff as the narrator instead of Anthony Hopkins.

DROOL FACTOR: Uh. No.

GROSS-OUT FACTOR: The thought of the Grinch and Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranksi) is rather nauseating and the butchering of the song "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" only makes matters worse.

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Cindy Lou Who is intelligent, inquisitive, thoughtful, sympathetic, and courageous. She's one kick-ass little girl.

-- Linda M. Najera

How The Grinch Stole Christmas is currently playing.

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