The Cat in the Hat Movie Review:

What an embarrassing film. There is no other way to describe this on-screen adaptation of the beloved children's book “Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat.” Granted the production design of the film mirrors some of the book's visuals, but the colorful choices and terrific makeup come nowhere close to saving this disaster. “The Cat in the Hat” is a children's book that is one that every child knows and all adults remember, but this film version, under the direction of Bo Welch, is a worthless adaptation with a load of the film's material being inappropriate for children. It also does not help that Mike Myers, as talented as he is, plays The Cat merely like one of his zany “Austin Powers” characters, mainly Dr. Evil.

The story somewhat follows the book, but it is expanded on and liberties are taken. Youngsters Sally ( Uptown Girls ' Dakota Fanning) and Conrad ( Disney's The Kid 's Spencer Breslin) are brother and sister that find themselves being left again with their stale babysitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill). There mother, Joan (Kelly Preston), is a workaholic real estate agent that has a big event at their house this following evening, and warns the children to not misbehaved or dirty the house. As always, Mrs. Kwan falls asleep practically as soon as she turns on the television. Rain then follows as Sally and Conrad find themselves bored out of their minds. Next arrives a talking 6-foot cat (Mike Myers) in a hat that continuously encourages the children to have fun, even if it means destroying the house. Such as in the book, the only means of discipline left in the house is from a talking pet fish (voice by Sean Hayes), who constantly reminds the children as well as The Cat of their wrong doings. To make matters worse, The Cat unveils two imps called Thing 1 and Thing 2, which ransack the home even more.

The film is terribly adapted for the screen by three writers and production designer Bo Welch as director. There are so many bad things in the film, but more than anything this film is offensive and inappropriate for younger audience members. Welch pretty much gives Myers the liberty to do exactly what he wants as The Cat, with no sense of constraint or identification. The Cat makes use of the sleeping baby sister as if she is a dead body, refers to the slang term of “hoe,” speaks a few times of ditching the kids, and also looks to whack another child with a baseball bat as revenge for being mistaken as a piñata. The Cat is also very crude, rude, annoying, and not one bit amusing. Did someone forget to implement that The Cat is actually a teacher in the story? Many weak situations and dunce characters are also added to the film not originally created by Dr. Seuss. An example is the next door neighbor Lawrence Quinn (Alec Baldwin), who wants to marry Sally and Conrad's mother and is not the well-groomed salesman that he first perceives to be. The character is practically added as a villain for the children and The Cat to literally slime at the end of the film. The choices made through out the script and direction of the film are nearly all off key. As referred to early, the production design of the film is visually potent, but the special effects drown the film. However, the inappropriateness nature of the intended laughs in the film is the most shameful aspect of all.

Mike Myers plays The Cat like he is a stand up comedian going through all of his popular past characters. Myers is a comedic talent, but his take in this film misses on all cylinders. Young Dakota Fanning is such a wonderful young talent as Sally, in which she continues to grow and live up to all of the hype surrounding her. Spencer Breslin, who was so convincing in “Disney's The Kid,” delivers what is intended for his character of Conrad, but he is a lot better than his work in this film. Kelly Preston is joyous as the mother of the two children, and Sean Hayes seems to have fun playing her meticulous boss, as well as voicing The Fish. Lastly, Alec Baldwin falters in his cardboard performance as the obsessed Lawrence.

A few years back, this film's same producer, Brian Grazer, delivered another Seuss book film adaptation with “The Grinch.” Though not perfect, “The Grinch” for the most part maintained the spirit and thoughts of the book. It is an opposite outcome with this adaptation of “The Cat in the Hat.” There are some qualities to this film, but Mike Myers is miscast, and the choices of inappropriateness that are perceived as inside jokes for adults or just too be humorous are humiliating to witness. “The Cat in the Hat” is supposed to be for children, but this film will have parents taking their children to the exits due to the crude and inappropriateness. Fans of the book should be outraged with this film.

Grade: F

11/21/03
By Joseph Tucker

After the success of Ron Howard's The Grinch, hopes were high for this adaptation of another Dr Seuss classic. Alas, this time the filmmakers seem to have decided that the Dr Seuss charm was too simple for them, opting instead for knowing, crude humour full of pop culture references. This not only yanks us out of the dreamlike on-screen world, but it makes the film painful to watch.

Joan (Preston) is the single mother with two energetic children, Sally and Conrad (Fanning and Breslin), and a slimy boyfriend (Baldwin) who's scheming to put the kids in a military academy. But Joan has more important things to do today, like prepare for a big party to impress her extremely picky boss (Hayes). So she leaves the kids in the hands of the sleepy Mrs Kwan (Hill). Enter The Cat (Myers), a rule-breaking party animal who encourages Sally and Conrad to do whatever they want, even if it means destroying the house in the process.

Like Jim Carrey in The Grinch, this film either sinks or swims on Myers' Cat. Myers is a very funny actor and writer, but he plays the Cat as a has-been Jewish comic with a Charles Nelson Reilly laugh and several meaningless catch-phrases. It isn't that this is completely unfunny--several scenes are sharply hilarious--but it's utterly wrong for this character, leaving the whole film floundering like the bad-CGI fish that continually scolds the kids. Why didn't Welch restrain Myers even a little bit? And why was the script allowed to wander so far from the original tale? The writers pointlessly strap on several lame subplots and an obvious moral lesson for each character. The actors are all fine, if a little too arch. And the film's design is eye-catching--a frothy storybook land in garish colours and designs. When the film sticks to Dr Seuss' tone, it's quite magical. But those are very rare moments in an otherwise joyless movie. And it's frankly far too violent and tasteless for the kids it's aimed at.

Rich Cline

Conrad (Breslin) never does what he is told; he is the classic rule breaker. Sally (Fanning) does everything that she is told but enjoys telling everyone else what to do; she is the classic control freak. When their mother leaves them with a babysitter so she can go to work, she gives them strict instructions not mess up the house and this time they are going to take notice. What they didn’t count on is a visit from the mischievous Cat in the Hat (Meyers) who just wants them to have fun.

Dr. Seuss’s beloved children’s books are filled with magic and rhyme, it just shame that the filmmakers forgot to include either this time.

The major problem with this movie is how do you make a short, children’s book into an eighty-minute plus feature film. Yes, you keep to the original premise of the source material which is all about been good but then you have to come up with a load of supplementary material to fill in the gaps. So you add in a money-grabbing boyfriend, an escaping dog and a Mother’s house party for his obsessively clean boss. The problem is that these all distract you from the main plotline.

Mike Myers is one of the most talented comedians working in movies, anyone who has seen the Austin Powers movies will agree to that but while his comedic persona lends itself well to playful cat, the character starts to get really annoying after about five minutes. He uses far too many pop culture references for comic effect and this will ultimately date the movie in years to come. He is also far too over the top and moronic to be in the slightest bit likable and when Mike Myers to supposed to be the major pulling point of the movie, this is not a good sign.

The two kids fair better however. Dakota Fanning is one of the best child actresses working in film at the moment and she gives another good performance here as control-freak Sally. Spencer Breslin is also good as rule-breaker Conrad, proving that he is a talent, especially when you wouldn’t class him as your typical Hollywood look, for a child actor.

As for the support, Kelly Preston does her best with a limited role. Sean Hayes isn’t bad as Mr Humberfloob and the voice of the Goldfish but Alec Baldwin is just plain annoying as the villain of the piece Larry Quinn.

The Cat in the Hat will probably go down well with its target audience, the under twelve’s but for the rest of us, the whole thing is just irritating. The jokes are repetitive and childish; the makeup effects on the cat are not that great and the most criminal thing of all is that the essence of Dr. Seuss’s beloved story is lost within all the rubbish that the filmmakers have decided to add to it.

Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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