Movie Review: The Grinch

Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland










Michael's Movie Grade: A

Review: Not only Illumination's best movie yet, but the best anyone not named Chuck Jones can do at making a film adaption of Dr. Seuss' great book.

This movie successeds where so many Dr. Seuss movies have failed. This is to take a short book and turn it into a feature length film. It is shocking how well this movie does this. As well as the plot of the book this movie adds a few subplots. These could have so easily been just distractions from the story we all came to see, but this movie finds delightful ways to tie everything together. This makes everything in this movie feel like it has a purpose and something to add to the story, making this unlike the 2000 movie version of the same story, feel like one cohesive whole. Another way this movie was made into feature length is by the addition of slapstick humor. However the slapstick humor never feels forced it. Instead it comes naturally out of the story and characters. It is also very funny. There were quite a few times I laughed out loud watching this movie. The early scene of the Grinch trying to avoid some Christmas carolers is cartoon slapstick at its finest. The whole thing is perfectly timed, and beautifully animated. It is also fantastic how like much great slapstick comedy, this scene starts off rather realistically and then gets more over the top and funnier as it goes on. This scene is also perfect because it is so relatable. We all have had times we have been grumpy and wanted to just avoid everyone around us, but some darn happy people just want to be around us. We (at least I have) have also been on the other side and been happy wanted to share that happiness, but a grumpy person doesn't want us to be happy around them. Also hilarious are almost all the scenes involving Fred the reindeer. This character is a great example of personality animation that can express a character's thought without ever having to hear a line of dialogue from him. He provides fantastic pantomime humor that made me laugh out loud several times and was all together a delightful addition to the classic story.


One fear I had was that this movie would try to make the story modern and hip. Luckily the only instance of this in the movie is a rap version of You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, but this was short and not as bad as it sounds. Everything else in this movie felt like something that could have been made at any time and I am sure that this will make this movie appeal to future generations the way the Chuck Jones version did. This movie also understands how much of the story's charm comes from its very simplicity. As such it never tries to overcomplicate things, therefore keeping much of the story's irresistibly simple charm. Adding to this film's timelessness are the great designs of the characters. Eric Guillon is the unsung hero of Illumination's movies. His character designs are always very visually appealing and unique. He does just as amazing of a job here (with the help of Mael Gourmelen and Craig Elliott) here as he has done in the past giving this movie a look as timeless as the story itself.


However all of this said the best thing about this movie is by the end I felt that warm unexplainable Christmas-y feeling. I am a full on Christmas lover, and any film that can make me have this feeling is winner in my book. This is a movie I will be watching every Christmas season and loving each time I watch it.


-Michael J. Ruhland