The 2000 version of The Grinch gave us Anthony Hopkins narrating Dr. Seuss's rhymes, and cast Jim Carrey as the green, furry outcast terrorising the residents of Whoville. In perhaps the closest a human performance has yet come to replicating the effects of CGI, Carrey interprets the title character as somewhere between a movie monster like Freddy Krueger and James Stewart at his lowest and most recklessly destructive point in It's a Wonderful Life. Like most Ron Howard films, more watchable and enjoyable than you imagine it's probably going to be, but it's one of those cacophonous and garish American fantasies (like, say, Barry Levinson's Toys) where, with the exception of the lead performance, you come away remembering the production design more than you do the narrative or any underlying message.
(January 2004)
The Grinch is available on DVD through Universal.
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