For extreme fans of the original 1966 animated half-hour Dr. Seuss special, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the live action remake in 2000, starring Jim Carrey as The Grinch, was an exciting dream come true. With Ron Howard directing, this vehicle was guaranteed to have a saccharine edge and swelling music that would send any Christmas and rhyming enthusiast straight to nirvana, but somehow it didn’t quite work that way. Despite doing well at the box office, both audience and critic responses were mixed. Plenty of people still can’t stand the movie today. What happened? I was ecstatic to see the movie. I’m a Christmas freak (I love the 1966 animated special as well), and Jim Carrey is a favorite of mine. Granted, I was ten years old, but it didn’t let me down. I’ve since watched the movie several times at different stages of my life, and I still love it. I think it’s time this movie was given more of the appreciation it deserves.
From what I’ve read and heard over the years, the dislike of this movie stems from reasons which I feel like are a combination of misunderstandings and defensive overreactions. I completely understand if you just don’t like Jim Carrey, but in my opinion, he was the perfect person for the role of the Grinch. I can’t imagine anyone doing it better. He’s unrecognizable and is wholeheartedly transformed into that character. I don’t think there is anyone who would be so willing to lose themselves completely into the role like he did either, but sure, if you don’t like Jim Carrey feel free to sit this one out.
People have stated that this movie twists the original’s concept into something less genuine and unrecognizable–the Whos are now too commercial with Christmas and are hateful!–but in this live action movie, we are given background to both the Whos and the Grinch. Whereas before, we knew next to nothing about them except that they loved Christmas a lot and the Grinch did not. He wanted to stop it from coming for reasons that included it being too loud and obnoxious and too commercialized. He soon learns that the Whos couldn’t care less about the presents, packages, and bows. They loved Christmas for its celebrations, traditions, love, and togetherness.
I’d like to point out that all of this is from the Grinch’s point of view. There are no fly on the wall scenarios where we are in Whoville observing and listening to the Whos talk. We are only given information by the narrator who is narrating the Grinch’s point of view and thoughts, so really the Whos could have been insanely into a commercialized Christmas but also loved the core and foundation of the holiday so much that they could do without all of the commercialization, or they realized they didn’t need the material parts right at the moment they discovered it was all missing. Maybe their realization was at the exact same time as the Grinch’s. We don’t know.
The 2000 live action remake was only filling in the gaps that the animated special had left unfilled. What the filmmakers chose makes sense. The Whos are not perfect, and they still love Christmas. They love it so much they want it to be bigger and better than ever. They want their families and friends to have the best time, and they also enjoy friendly competition during the holiday with house decorating contests. With all of this in mind, it makes sense that maybe they could lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas because like us they are caught up in the holiday rush which ultimately comes from the buzz and excitement of the season.
The Grinch, like in the original, still can’t stand any of this, but instead of just hating Christmas and the celebrations being obnoxious, we get more of a personal history. We learn that he grew up with the Whos and is even still carrying a torch for one of them, but like in real life, there are bullies–well, just one, really–who often control the behaviors of others through fear. The Grinch was bullied, so that adds more fuel to the fire for his impending revenge. We’re able to empathize with Grinch now, and most good villains are complicated like this. Successful villains are not one-note and evil for the sake of being evil; there are even times when we root for them. I really appreciate these backstories to both Grinch and the Whos because it adds depth to them. They are more human and therefore more relatable. Even Cindy Lou Who gets a bigger role in this movie. She struggles with the fact that everyone is caught up in the holiday rush, and she is searching for a more true Christmas (much like Charlie Brown). She finds a way to get back to it by meeting and interacting with Grinch. He has more reason now to eventually “give Christmas back” to the Whos with this reluctant fondness for Cindy Lou Who. It’s more personal when she is almost hurt as well.
I think the most important part of this movie is just how moving it is and the wisdom it imparts. It adds more in depth themes that the original was not able to. The theme of the importance of love above all is still there, but there is also the message of how othering people because they are different is cruel. Taking the time to get to know someone and what is the best way to include them in festivities can be life changing for them and you. The movie also lightly touches on how depression can hit hardest during the holidays, and it’s not an easy time for everyone. The Grinch casually makes self-deprecating jokes about “scheduling in time for self-loathing,” and in those seemingly off the cuff moments for Carrey, viewers gain insight into just how dark things can get for some people. Since the movie contains all of these things, it isn’t mindless or too sunny. It means something and can evoke a real emotional response; that is an attribute of a truly great Christmas movie. I think it’s also the reason why this remake is superior to the dull, bland reboot, The Grinch, from 2018. That reboot mainly sticks to the superficial and bare bones aspects of the story.
On top of all of this, the movie is extremely festive. Who knew that such an amazing Christmas celebration could take place on a single snowflake? The decorations and set designs are superb. Not to mention the costumes and makeup are next level amazing. It is a wonderful movie to get lost in. It can be argued that there are a few areas that maybe drag a little, and perhaps fifteen minutes could have been edited out to keep the pace even, but this is a minor flaw to me. I still find that it flows nicely, especially as I’ve gotten older. There are, of course, some jokes that some viewers may find too juvenile, but that’s to be expected with family entertainment. Most of the humor does have a darker edge to it which I think can be attributed to Jim Carrey and his style of comedy and ad-libbing.
I find this movie to be a perfect blend of holiday cheer, warmth, humor, and pleasing aesthetics. It has a lot of layers to it that are unfortunately glossed over. The cast is insanely good, and all of the performances are incredibly strong. I think it is a movie that deserves to be in the list of “Christmas Classics.” It suffers from being misunderstood because of preconceived notions from the animated original and a lack of openness on the part of the audience. Unfortunately, lukewarm first impressions are the ones that linger the longest and do the most damage. If the first watch didn’t go well for you, give it another try, and if you’ve never seen it, be prepared to laugh and also find yourself unexpectedly tearing up at parts, especially during Cindy Lou Who singing, “Where Are You Christmas?”. Be forewarned, it may even induce an existential crisis.
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When I’m not busy daydreaming or having an existential crisis, I can usually be found watching a movie or TV, listening to music or a podcast, or with my nose in a book.
