In 1966 a great half hour of television was aired near Christmastime. It was the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and it was a warm and flaming work of art, in prose, poetry, and form. Two years ago it was remade into the most contrived film in a long time. One must give Howard's film the credit that it was well imagined--the landscapes were grand, the makeup was well-done (thank you Rick Baker), and Carrey was as eccentric as ever. But... The film failed horribly as a story. The cinematography was childish (not that one should expect grandiose cinematography in a family film). The plot was butchered, with the origin of the Grinch, a far-too-long delving into how the Grinch came about (a key party, no less), and a bad shave. This simply wasted time. The movie was too much like Space Jam. It took good characters and made them nothing more than billboards. Suess' storybook fantasy was bastardized, and Universal made millions. This is what is wrong with Hollywood. Go rent the original, you'll be doing the kids a favor.
