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The Grinch film review
THE GRINCH
Running time: 105 mins
Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon, Josh Ryan Evans, and the voice of Anthony Hopkins
Christmas is coming and the Hollywood product is getting fatuous, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to discover that Ron Howard's live-action version of Dr Seuss is an enchanting fairy-tale bedecked in boundless good cheer. Inside a snowflake, high atop Mount Crumpit, lives a mean-spirited recluse called The Grinch (Jim Carrey) with his pet hound Max.
Wallowing in self-loathing and burdened with a heart two sizes too small, The Grinch shudders at the thought of the impending holiday season. So he resolves to make all of the Whos just as miserable as himself by stealing their presents, food and decorations.
Disguising himself as Santa Claus and strapping a pair of fake antlers on to long-suffering Max, the Grinch makes his way into Whoville to deliver a very special Christmas grinching.
During his sneaky sortie, The Grinch meets rosy-cheeked moppet Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) who hopes to reignite the community spirit in her family, neighbours and friends.
The little girl's kindness and pure heart have a profound effect on the reclusive sourpuss, and he unearths a long forgotten part of his soul. Together these kindred spirits find friendship and hope, and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
The Grinch is a tour de force of heart-warming old-fashioned family values, breathtaking make-up and sets and lively direction, wrapped up in the magic of Carrey's manic central turn.
In his breakout film The Mask, the funnyman delivers a similarly breathless virtuoso performance: frantically contorting his face and body, running the gamut of silly voices, and whirling about the screen with all the pent-up nervous energy of a six-year-old who has overdosed on orange squash.
However, he always plays second fiddle to the eye-popping special effects. As The Grinch, Carrey refuses to make the same mistake, drawing attention to himself whenever Michael Corenblith's gorgeous production design or Rita Ryack's vivid costumes threaten to steal his limelight.
Despite Rick Baker's restrictive luminous green body suit, the funnyman announces his presence in every frame, furiously ad-libbing between the big set-pieces. He leaves you in no doubt that he is the film's most impressive special effect.
Momsen couldn't be more angelic as the pint-sized cherub who shows The Grinch the error of his ways, and Jeffrey Tambor is on top form as the town mayor whose utter contempt for Whoville's most misunderstood exile stretches back to the classroom and schoolyard.
The ever reliable Christine Baranski raises the art of pouting to new dizzy heights as the childhood sweetheart who comes over all light-headed by the thought of The Grinch's green fur.
Howard's creative team has excelled itself, transporting the viewer into the incredible fantasy world that is Whoville. The sets are a marvellous winter wonderland of larger than life homesteads and shops, covered from ceiling to floor in endless streams of multi-coloured lights.
The Grinch is the perfect yuletide treat for the whole family, underpinned by a timely message about the commercialism of the festive season. Christmas has indeed come early.
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