Review of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) by Sean L — 15 Aug 2016

I'll give them credit for being ballsy enough to attempt this. When I first saw the trailer for this movie fifteen years ago, I was turned off. The original animated Grinch was so good, why would you want to even try a live-action version? I expected it to be lame which is why I've steered clear of it for over a decade. I finally decided to give it a chance and, I have to say, I'm really glad I did.

For those of you that don't know the story, the evil Grinch lives atop a mountain overlooking the city of Whoville. The Who's love Christmas, while The Grinch detests it. Not wanting anyone else to be happy, The Grinch decides to rob the townspeople of Christmas by stealing every single present they have.

The biggest draw of this story to me has always been the message behind it and none of that is lost in translation here. It's a heart-warming story that identifies the true meaning of Christmas. This movie will make you burst into laughter at times and can be heartbreaking at other times. The emotional mixture is both enjoyable and genuine. Director Ron Howard took the time to make the story his own while still staying true to the animated version. Hats off as well to Jim Carrey who stole the show with his protrayal of The Grinch. One favorite scene of mine that sticks out was one where The Grinch was trying to decide if he was going to accept an award the Who's were giving him. His back-and-forth on what he would wear was truly hilarious. I give this movie an 87.