HTF Review: The Cat in the Hat - Page 2

Ronald Epstein · 03-13-2004, 04:30 PM

Peee-Yuuu!

Well, I did it!

I bought this DVD blindly against all imaginable
warnings given, and watched it last night.

You guys were right! A real turd!

.....but I had to know for myself and for that
it was worth the $20 I paid.

I never envisioned a film that could be so unimaginable
and so far attached from the very book it represents.

A kids film? There were more sexual innuendos and
double-entendres than those Bugs Bunny shows I watched
as a kid. Who would have thought the lovable Dr. Seuss
we all grew up with could be filled with such vile?

This film wasn't even funny. I didn't crack a
grin once. As much as I could imagine how
embarrassed Mike Meyers must be about appearing
in this film, I wonder if Alec Baldwin shouldn't
feel even more embarrassed. Has Baldwin's
career sunk so low that he now freely humiliates
himself this way?

Oh, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure
of watching The Cat In The Hat, make no mistake
about it -- this is the worst drek that has ever
been made. I can't believe that the filmmakers
would violate the sanctity of Dr. Seuss in this
manner.

And for the record....I loved THE GRINCH.
Say what you will about that Ron Howard film, but
at least it was very true to the book and certainly
not as profane as The Cat In The Hat.

Well worth the $20 for me to be able to post my
opinion here and steer as many of you away from
this film as possible.

PS: As a sidenote, the transfer was goregeous.
A real waste of resolution!

Bill Buklis · 03-13-2004, 08:49 PM

Far and Away? Was that the one about the two Irish immigrants who came to America in the 1800's? I'm thinking Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman? Not sure about the actors though. That movie wasn't that bad. Far from great, mind you. But, definitely not terrible.

Quote:

There were more sexual innuendos and
double-entendres than those Bugs Bunny shows I watched
as a kid. Who would have thought the lovable Dr. Seuss
we all grew up with could be filled with such vile?

Actually Theodore Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) was rather known for his "adult" oriented humor. His first illustrated book was adult oriented and definitely not for kids. But, that doesn't mean to say that any of the stuff in this movie is any where representative of his stuff and certainly not of the kids book. I'm sure Geisel would've been quite offended from this travesty of his work.

Quote:

Say what you will about that Ron Howard film, but
at least it was very true to the book and certainly
not as profane as The Cat In The Hat

I'll agree with you there. At least The Grinch more or less followed the book and its general themes.

jonathan_govols · 03-15-2004, 06:44 PM

Alright get ready to rip me. I just rented this and I thought this was one of the funniest movies I've seen in quite a while. I was crying I was laughing so hard after Cat gets hit in a certain private area. You'll never be able to listen to Lionel Richie the same again.

I'm a huge Mike Myers fan and this is a Myers vehicle if I've ever seen one. To me this is a very similar movie to Jim Carrey's "The Mask". I don't really care much about the book or how loyal the film was to it. I mean they couldn't do a word for word remake of the book unless they wanted a 10 minute film. I enjoyed this film so much I can't wait to buy this one. Thanks to all of you for the negative reviews because it made me enjoy it that much more.

I respect all of your opinions about the film (as I hope you would mine, even though you disagree) but for me I really wish I had went to the theater and seen this one. That way I wouldn't have had to rent it and I could've just immedately bought it.

Ronald Epstein · 03-15-2004, 07:15 PM

Quote:

I was crying I was laughing so hard after Cat gets hit in a certain private area. You'll never be able to listen to Lionel Richie the same again.

You know what Jonathan? I lied. I did crack a
chuckle at that ONE VERY SCENE. It was the highlight
of the entire film.

ChrisBEA · 03-15-2004, 07:21 PM

At least someone liked it, I have a co-worker who really liked it. I have alwys said a movie, no matter how bad, has at least one fan, and this one has 2

!
I had a free ticket and wanted to walk out, shame too because i do really like Myers.

jonathan_govols · 03-15-2004, 07:50 PM

Hey Ron, I'm glad you liked that scene too. That is about the hardest I've laughed in a movie. Only "Stonehenge" from Spinal Tap, "The Killer Rabbit" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and "Corky's Funky Dance" from Waiting for Guffman were funnier scenes for me.

Oh well I hate that you guys didn't like the movie. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. This really isn't a kids movie. Even though it shouldn't have been rated this, I think this movie is more suited for a PG-13 audience. There are so many jokes that only adults will enjoy.

Not every movie I like is popular when first released (Billy Madison or Man on the Moon anyone?) but again my two least favorite movies of all time were VERY popular, The Royal Tenenbaums and O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Just goes to show different strokes for different folks.

Jesse Skeen · 03-15-2004, 08:37 PM

Still haven't seen this, but I thought Billy Madison was one of the funniest movies I'd ever seen, so that destroys my credibility right there

I liked Howard The Duck too.

ZacharyTait · 03-16-2004, 12:31 AM

I too think Billy Madison is hilarious.

"Carl! Good to see you!"

Andrew Radke · 04-08-2004, 04:19 PM

I know I'm a couple weeks late joining in on the conversation but I didn't see "Cat in the Hat" until just today. I know I'm in the extreme minority here, but I thought this was hilarious. I fully expected this to be a cutesy family flick which wouldn't appeal to anyone over the age of 7. Little did I know that this film would pull a "Shrek" and throw in obscure jokes for the more mature audience.....many of which I cracked up at. I got a kick out of the scene where they mock infomercials with the cupcake machine. I've always said to people how much they over-act in those things, and Myers played it out hilariously. Call me shallow minded, or what-not, but I laughed out loud many times throughout this film. I think a lot of people expected this to be an 'iron clad' version of the book. The fact is, it's hard to make a 90-minute movie out of a 25-30 page children's story. The basic elements of the story are there.......and what they added was perfect.

Following the movie, I looked at the parental rating on the box, and now fully understand why it was rated PG as opposed to FAMILY. Mind you, aside from the obvious sight gags......the hit in the privates, etc, the majority of the jokes are so obscure, children wouldn't be able to figure them out. Same goes for 'Shrek', which is why I equally love that film. It caters to both audiences, not just one.

Different strokes for different folks. Certainly, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I loved it.

jonathan_govols · 04-08-2004, 05:21 PM

I totally agree with you Andrew! Most comedies I've seen lately have sorta been filled with snickers but this one really made me laugh out loud alot. I also think that most people's problems with the movie are because they were fans of the book. I like the book fine but I didn't want to see a 10 minute movie either. I wanted to see a Mike Myers romp and that's EXACTLY what I got. And yes this is a family film but there is so many jokes that are ONLY for adults (Dirty Hoe, Cut off all his ..., SON OF A BI....(Hang In There Baby

). I guess I can see how some people won't like it, but I also think it has gotten an unfair bad rap.