The Cat in the Hat (2003)

Plot: Siblings Conrad (Spencer Breslin) and Sally (Dakota Fanning) are left home at the hands of a babysitter while their mother (Kelly Preston) goes to work. Suddenly, the Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers) comes, declaring their going to have a day of fun and nothing bad will happen. Is this true?

Review: When I heard they were doing a live-action version of one of Dr. Seuss' books, I was skeptical. I felt this way because of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), the live-action film based on the Dr. Seuss book. I wasn't expecting much when I went to watch this and I wasn't let down because my expectations weren't that high. This isn't a good adaptation of the classic children's book.

The film runs for 82 minutes, so they added new characters and subplots to meet the film's length. For example, they added a love interest for the mother, Larry (Alec Baldwin), gave the fish a more significant role and they added tension in the relationship between Conrad and his mother. These are just a few examples.

The film's humor is ridiculous and hilarious. I'm honestly surprised that they used this kind of humor in what is seen as a family movie. The comedy used is very slapstick. It goes beyond the boundaries of reality. And I can understand it to an extend because the film is fantasy. It's so exaggerated that I can't wrap my head around it. The use of toilet humor is simply too much. I think writers expect kids to laugh when they use that kind of humor. And some of the comedy they use is very mature. For example, they have a hoe (the garden tool) and the Cat says "dirty hoe". There's one joke where the Cat says the S.L.O.W. car was originally called something that was known as S.H.I.T.  It's that kind of humor that I find crude and mature for a kid movie. It feels more like a teen version of The Cat in the Hat.

The acting is alright. Mike Myers is entertaining as the Cat in the Hat and does the best he can with the material, which isn't much. Spencer Breslin is fine as Conrad. Dakota Fanning is good as Sally, even though I found the character incredibly annoying. Alec Baldwin and Kelly Preston weren't that good in their respective roles. I didn't find their characters interesting and found both characters flat and boring. The only characters that weren't a pain for me as a movie watcher were the Cat in the Hat, Conrad (for the most part) and the fish.

I'll admit that I laughed and the movie itself can be entertaining. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a horrible adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic book. And that this shouldn't be seen by younger kids. I'll go as far to say that kids under the age of 8-9 shouldn't see this because of its mature content. Yet I can't help but to enjoy this movie. I honestly think Dr. Seuss is rolling in his grave because of this adaptation.

Rating: 2.5/5