The thing about a remake is that there needs to be a reason to make it. When remakes have no reason to exist (other than to make a quick buck or millions of them), they fall flat, usually due to a lack effort. And therein lies the issue plaguing this 2018 version of Dr. Seuss' holiday classic about the mean-green-grumpy Grinch-it's a dull final product that likely resulting from a lack of effort. We know the Grinch stole Christmas, but who stole this movie's creativity?
Just about everyone knows the classic Grinch story, but this one is a little bit different, so let's run through it. There's cheery, wintery town called Whoville filled with many delightful people called Whos. The Whos love Christmas, and they know how to celebrate the holiday right. They don't just deck the halls, they deck out the entire town with decorations, lights and a mountain-sized tree. It's all glorious.
One young Who named Cindy-Lou (Cameron Seely) has an adventurous spirit and a kind heart, as central figures tend to have in these sorts of movies. She feels for her exhausted single mom who struggles to balance her time at work and at home taking care of Cindy-Lou and the twin boys. So, Cindy-Lou decides to ask Santa to help her mom by doing... something. Exactly what help Santa would provide is unclear, which makes any resolution problematic because we can't recognize the help if it arrives. If you think I'm overanalyzing this movie aimed at children, you're probably right.
Any Who... living in the giant mountain adjacent to Whoville is The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch). The Grinch I remember as a child was a ruthless and nasty figure. Establishing him this way early on is crucial because it sets up a redemption story. This new Grinch starts off mildly rude at his worst and genuinely considerate at his best. A few half-hearted attempts to display his wickedness that fail and instead make him appear funny. The rest of the time, The Grinch is mostly pleasant. This robs viewers of the need to root for him to change because he's a decent guy the entire time. He politely interacts with an overly-jolly old friend, Mr. Bricklebaum, voiced by Kenan Thompson, who is doing some variation of his SNL character, neighbor Willie. Thompson's jubilance is good for a few laughs, the only ones you'll find in the movie. Despite his best efforts, his limited screen time doesn't afford him enough opportunity to earn this movie an overall label of "funny."
The rest of the attempts at humor are comprised mostly of cutaways that play like watered down versions of ones you'd see on Family Guy. There's also a dusting of lazy Who-based puns, like the inclusion a place called Who Foods, a play on Whole Foods. Like the rest of the movie, the jokes clearly were made with little effort.
There isn't much else to say. This is a pointless remake that doesn't need to exist. A remake that has a reason to exist should provide a fresh voice while simultaneously honoring the past creation. This film does neither. If you want to watch a story about The Grinch, you'd be much better off revisiting the original cartoon classic or the more recent live-action iteration starring Jim Carrey.
Just about everyone knows the classic Grinch story, but this one is a little bit different, so let's run through it. There's cheery, wintery town called Whoville filled with many delightful people called Whos. The Whos love Christmas, and they know how to celebrate the holiday right. They don't just deck the halls, they deck out the entire town with decorations, lights and a mountain-sized tree. It's all glorious.
One young Who named Cindy-Lou (Cameron Seely) has an adventurous spirit and a kind heart, as central figures tend to have in these sorts of movies. She feels for her exhausted single mom who struggles to balance her time at work and at home taking care of Cindy-Lou and the twin boys. So, Cindy-Lou decides to ask Santa to help her mom by doing... something. Exactly what help Santa would provide is unclear, which makes any resolution problematic because we can't recognize the help if it arrives. If you think I'm overanalyzing this movie aimed at children, you're probably right.
Any Who... living in the giant mountain adjacent to Whoville is The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch). The Grinch I remember as a child was a ruthless and nasty figure. Establishing him this way early on is crucial because it sets up a redemption story. This new Grinch starts off mildly rude at his worst and genuinely considerate at his best. A few half-hearted attempts to display his wickedness that fail and instead make him appear funny. The rest of the time, The Grinch is mostly pleasant. This robs viewers of the need to root for him to change because he's a decent guy the entire time. He politely interacts with an overly-jolly old friend, Mr. Bricklebaum, voiced by Kenan Thompson, who is doing some variation of his SNL character, neighbor Willie. Thompson's jubilance is good for a few laughs, the only ones you'll find in the movie. Despite his best efforts, his limited screen time doesn't afford him enough opportunity to earn this movie an overall label of "funny."
The rest of the attempts at humor are comprised mostly of cutaways that play like watered down versions of ones you'd see on Family Guy. There's also a dusting of lazy Who-based puns, like the inclusion a place called Who Foods, a play on Whole Foods. Like the rest of the movie, the jokes clearly were made with little effort.
There isn't much else to say. This is a pointless remake that doesn't need to exist. A remake that has a reason to exist should provide a fresh voice while simultaneously honoring the past creation. This film does neither. If you want to watch a story about The Grinch, you'd be much better off revisiting the original cartoon classic or the more recent live-action iteration starring Jim Carrey.