The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat is one of Hollywood's two attempts at live-action recreations of Dr. Seuss classics (the other being The Grinch and even I won't own that crap factory). Here we find Mike Meyers, already known for a slew of wacky characters, taking on the role of the Cat. The movie stays true to the general idea of the book... two kids are at home and a giant cat wearing a giant hat appears to help them have fun. In the movie version, the kids are at home with a babysitter while their mother (played by uber-milf Kelly Preston) is at work and they are instructed to make sure they house is in pristine condition for the company party she is hosting that evening. The son is your typical mayhem-machine known for breaking every rule he's given, while the daughter (played by Dakota Phanning) is the goody-two-shoes that asks for more rules just so she can follow them. Once the Cat joins the picture he takes them on an odd adventure doing as much accidental harm as intentional help. Not helping matters is their sleazy neighbor - and their mother's boyfriend - trying to do everything in his power to get the kids out of his way. Oh, and he's Alec Baldwin. It wouldn't be The Cat in the Hat without other classic characters like the talking goldfish and Thing 1 and Thing 2, so they all have relevant and entertaining involvement. I guess that is good enough for now, so let's get on with the reviews...

Original Release: 2003
Running Time: 82 minutes
For Ages 5 and Up - $2
The point of this category is to determine whether a "kids" movie is going to be enjoyable only for kids... and that is definitely not the case here folks. Man oh man, I'd say they even go a little far here. There's a "dirty hoe" joke with a garden tool! Kids don't get jokes like those (or at least they shouldn't... damn kids these days) but the adults that sat through this at the theater were probably very grateful. I think there are more jokes here for the adults than the kids, but enough bright colors and silly antics to make even the young ones ignorantly happy.

Hardee-Har-Har - $2
I'm sorry... but it's funny. I know a lot of people don't want to admit that this is a humorous movie but it is. So get over yourself! I am still chuckling over the "chocolate thundah" line people. If you don't trust me then watch it for yourself and try to tell me I'm wrong. I don't know what else to tell you here... so I'll just move on.

Acting - $1
Nobody was taking this one too seriously, but I don't think they were supposed to be either. It's decent considering the talent they have but nobody really flexed their thespius maximus (that's the acting muscle you hear a lot about). It looks like everyone did what they needed to do and just had fun making the film, which isn't bad but it won't get you dos pesos either.

Critters & Creatures - $1
There isn't really an abundance here, but I liked the ones they had. The Cat himself is an interesting creature, as are the standard Suess-ish Thing 1 and Thing 2. The talking goldfish is all well and good too, but they didn't push it much further at all. So if for nostalgia alone I'll give a dollar here.

Repeat Play - $1
This is sort of a guilty pleasure movie. It's not one that I would suggest as a viewing option to a lovely young lady, but I will definitely throw it in when I'm trying to take a nap or trying to do things around the house. It's what I consider a good ironing movie... easy to enjoy even if I don't have my eyes on the screen.
Total Rating: $7

The first time I saw Cat in the Hat it was late morning or early afternoon on a Saturday while my body was still pumping with Miller Lite from the night before. There was nothing better on regular TV or any of the HBO channels so I put this on mid-stream with the hopes that I would just pass out on the couch. I managed to stay awake and was pleasantly surprised by how funny and just plain fun this movie was. In fact, it was entertaining enough to watch again the whole way through the next day. This is one of the movies that's in the back of my mind so when I saw it on super-sale at Best Buy (still hoping for kick-backs) I just had to pick it up. If you get a chance, I definitely think you should give it a try... and let me know what you think of course!