Stars: Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Catherine Baranov, Molly Shannon, Rachel Bailit, Anthony Hopkins

Director: Ron Howard

Summary: The Grinch, a foul-tempered green and hairy creature, who lives on Mount Crumpit, hates Christmas almost as much as the residents of Whoville, the town at the bottom of his mountain. One night he decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos by taking all their decorations, presents and Christmassy things. However he soon learns a valuable lesson about the true spirit of the festive season. An adaptation of the 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' by Dr. Seuss.

Director Ron Howard casts comedian Jim Carrey in the title role in this live-action adaptation of the famous Christmas tale by Dr. Seuss, giving this rendition of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS a delightfully manic spin. Carrey is virtually unrecognizable in his elaborate green makeup, but his anarchic comic touch is unmistakable. He manages to fully embody the grumpy title character, while still supplying his own comedic touches, and it is his performance that makes the film a treat for adults and children alike. The candy-colored set design for the town of Whoville and the jubilant score contribute to the overall feeling of innocuous fantasy that the Grinch disrupts with his dastardly deeds. The familiar story of the Grinch stealing every present in town on Christmas Eve has been expanded to incorporate flashbacks to the Grinch's childhood, which serve to explain his hostility toward the Whos. As Cindy Lou-Who, a little girl so sweet she sees goodness even in the Grinch, young Taylor Momsen strikes just the right note of adorable ingenuousness. Howard gets the performance the film needs from her, as her character makes the Grinch's eventual change of heart both believable and touching.

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Under a thick carpet of green-dyed yak fur and wonderfully expressive Rick Baker makeup, Jim Carrey is up to all of his old tricks (and some nifty new ones) in this live-action movie of Dr. Seuss's holiday classic. He commands the title role with equal parts madness, mayhem, pathos, and improvisational genius, channeling Grinchness through his own screen persona so smoothly that fans of both Carrey and Dr. Seuss will be thoroughly satisfied. Adding to the fun is a perfectly pitched back-story sequence (accompanied by Anthony Hopkins's narration) that explains how the Grinch came to hate Christmas, with a heart "two sizes too small." Ron Howard proves a fine choice for the director's chair with a keen balance of comedy, sentiment, and light-hearted Seussian whimsy. Production designer Michael Corenblith gloriously realizes the wackiness of Whoville architecture, and his rendition of the Grinch's Mt. Crumpit lair is a marvel of cartoonish, subterranean grime. Then there's Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), the thoughtful imp who rallies her village to recapture the pure spirit of Christmas and melts the gift-stealing Grinch's cold, cold heart. You've even got a dog (the Grinch's good-natured mongrel, Max) who's been perfectly cast, so what's not to like about this dazzling yuletide movie? The production gets a bit overwhelmed by its own ambition, and the citizens of Whoville (including Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, and Bill Irwin) pale in comparison to Carrey's inspired lunacy, but who cares? If a movie can unleash Jim Carrey at his finest, revamp the Grinch story, and still pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. Seuss, you can bet it qualifies as rousing entertainment. (Ages 5 and older.) --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Spotlight On Location, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Who School Featurette, Makeup Application And Design Featurette, Seussian Set Decoration Featurette, Visual Effects Featurette, Faith Hill Where Are You Christmas Music Video, Wholiday Recipes, By The Numbers, Theatr
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Year:	2000
Release Date:	November 19, 2001
Runtime:	101 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	U D R 90138
Label:	Universal
Keywords:	Family, Christmas, General, How, Wide, Screen, Animation, Childrens, Dr, Grinch, Stole, Seuss'
Genre:	Childrens