The Cat in the Hat

A great little feel good film for the family, with a little moral tale for the kids.

I've never laughed so much at a film. I think Heath Ledger must have used this film as inspiration for his groundbreaking portrayal of joker, only it lacks the same level of poise and unpredictable chaos of Mike Myers performance.

The film truly captures the zeitgeist of the Gen-Z world of humour and ideology of meaningless content. It was very ahead of its time and will forever remain as a masterpiece. I can't wait for the Criterion box set.

The Cat in the Hat is a comical cinematic masterpiece. Bo Welch took a simple book and made it into its own bright lively world. The unique costumes, lighting, and filter used in this film, submerges you into the story. Mike Meyers one liners and jokes are forever quotable, and bring a smile to the faces of many. The cinematography of this film is astonishing for a children's movie. The low angle shots used to announce the dominance and relationship between characters is unexpected in a film such as this, yet it works so well. Every time viewed, I find something new to smile and laugh at. This is my favorite film of all time, 10/10.

After years and years of hearing how bad this movie was, I finally wartched it last night. I now understand why the crass humor offended the widow of Dr. Suess, and I know why most hated it. But, I don't. The crass humor and many "wtf is happening" moments made this a very fun watch.

The Bad: Like I said, this movie is not technically very good. The kids acting is not the best, and the story is slightly all over the place. Also, thing 1 and thing 2 are just downright creepy. I maybe laughed at 1 or 2 of their jokes, but they mainly just creeped me out.

The Good: I really liked this type of humor. It was so chaotic and crass that I couldn't help but laugh a lot. Most the time the movie knows its being stupid and immature, which only helps its cause. Mike Meyers just plays himself but as a giant cat, and its so funny to me. I understand this is not a good at all adaptation of the book, but I don't care. It was funny, and I enjoyed my time.

Conclusion: It was ruined when she bought it honey. Watch this intoxicated.

You'll be hard pressed to find a more toxic film than Mike Myers' The Cat In The Hat. It's one of the worst reviewed movies of its decade, by critics and audiences alike. Most found its vulgarity and juvenile sense of humor to be offensive, considering the magical and timeless source material. There's no doubt that Mike Myers' Austin Powers brand of humor is an ill fit for the classic Dr. Seuss story, but if you can power through the shock value inherent in The Cat In The Hat, you'll find a fairly entertaining kids romp with a couple of genuine laughs for adults.

The Cat In The Hat shares the same basic outline from the book, with two kids, Sally and Conrad, having a chance encounter with a life-sized Cat played by Mike Myers. The crux of the story is that general hilarity ensues and the kids must clean up before their mother comes home. It's a great story to tell in a children's picture book; There it is charming, innocent, and whimsical. Here, the hilarity is a strange mix of Mike Myers brand humor and standard kid's potty jokes. The kid stuff is dreadfully unfunny, but I can't say that Mike Myers doesn't infuse some kind of welcome energy to the proceedings.

I may sound like I'm giving this film a glowing review; I'm not. The Cat In The Hat spends much more time with flat gags, needless plot points, and baffling music numbers than it does with the moments of real comedy. The story here meanders through every kind of cliché kiddy movie plot point you can think of, and Mike Myers tries his best to annoy even the most optimistic viewers to tears (He relentlessly shouts "Oh Yeah" like an off-brand Kool-Aid Man... Guess what? That catchphrase ain't sticking).

I'm not here to sing the praises of The Cat In The Hat. I'm not even going to defend it, but call me crazy, I laughed during this movie. I really laughed, at more than a few points in the film. Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin are cute, and the sets are colorful and inventive. This movie has problems for sure, mainly stemming from the fact that the whimsy of the book has been replaced with mean-spirited, gross-out humor. If you can get past that fact, there is fun to be had here. It all depends on what you're willing to sit through for a couple of good laughs.

60/100