From the late 90s to the early 2000s, Jim Carrey was the undisputed king of Hollywood comedy films. There was nobody who worked at the same pace that Carrey did, putting out a new film every other year, and making good comedy films that have become iconic films of the modern century. He’s been doing work of all sorts recently and had seemingly vanished from filmmaking for a long time.
However, every single year it’s a tradition to remember Jim Carrey’s masterful contribution to Christmas. This man gave us all How the Grinch Stole Christmas back in the year 2000, it was a film so iconic that it is still a traditional Christmas flick.
How to Stream or Download How the Grinch Stole Christmas
To stream or to download the film, click on the Download button at the end of the review. Check out also the newer take on the Grinch Christmas story – the 2018 animated film Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch. And if you like Jim Carrey, check out also our reviews of Batman Forever (1995), Bruce Almighty (2003), and Sonic the Hedgehog (2020).
The Movie Review
Based on Doctor Seuss’s book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a story about a miserable old codger who lives in a trash dump adjacent to a city that celebrates Christmas to its fullest extent. Christmas is the biggest holiday event in the Grinch’s world, and yet the Grinch absolutely despises it because he has nobody to celebrate it with!
So, every single year he has to tolerate the cheer and happiness of the city’s folk. However, one day he’s fed up with it enough to the point of deciding to ruin Christmas for everybody!
Directed by none other than Ron Howard, this is a film that doesn’t really focus on logic or any filmmaking aspects. In fact, I personally think that is what makes it so unique and fun to watch! How the Grinch Stole Christmas is only a comedy film that has the sole purpose of making you feel good and festive into the Christmas spirit. It is comically rib-tickling too, and that is perhaps for two reasons. The first is the amazing script written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman.
They had such a nuanced take on the Grinch, writing him as a despicable yet lovable character.
However, none of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for Jim Carrey himself. The man is the living embodiment of the Grinch, once he was in that costume, he was pitch-perfect and made for the role! His devilish charm combined with the fantastic ability to make some of the weird faces, and some of the weird noises made for a terrifying and yet comically fantastic interpretation of the character.
He looked like he was straight out of the Doctor Seuss books, just like the original interpretation of the character in the animated series.
The film had an otherworldly whimsical take on consumerism, showcasing how much money people waste and how many resources people use up during Christmas. It also had an important message of how we should be spending our Christmas preparations by helping those in need and spending time with our families and loved ones, instead of overdoing Christmas decorations for everyone to see.
The camera work and the great lighting reminded me of Tim burtons imaginations, Anne made for a perfect setting for this film.
The last thing that I want to talk about is of course also one of the most important aspects of a Grinch adaptation. The rendition of the songs, in particular, the song ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch’ was absolutely amazing. It just felt like it was straight out of the animated series, but with Jim Carrey singing the song. He added his own nuance to the song, such as growling and making funny noises that made Mr. Grinch seem even more menacing.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, how the Grinch stole Christmas might not be a cinematic masterpiece or an art film that we can find tiny little details in upon rewatching. However, this is a film that you can enjoy no matter what age you are. It is a defining film for the Christmas spirit, a feature film that anybody can watch and feel jolly and right in the Christmas mood.
There’s just something about this film that is so intoxicating, whether it’s the humor, the tone, that Tim Burton feeling you get from it its production design, or just Jim Carrey’s performance in general. This is a film that you just need to watch on Christmas otherwise you’d be considered uncultured.
