After hearing all the horrible reviews and complaints about "The Cat in the Hat," my expectations were mighty low, but yet I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. So when my mom rented it, I thought I would check it out, and hey, it was free for me!
"The Cat in the Hat's" style of humor is very odd to say the least. The screenplay is written by writers from "Seinfeld," the "Clerks" animated series, and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" - all shows that I love - but these writers just didn't make the proper transition to the family genre. I can only think of two moments that I thought were genuinely funny - the "magical" lawyers and the melodramatic music The Cat plays on the organ. It just seems like they tried to make a family-friendly "Saturday Night Live," and it just failed miserably. I think they had a problem determining whom this movie was for. It can be too vulgar for the family set, and it's just too unfunny for the grown-up set.
I also question how the cast members approached this movie. If you check out the outtakes on the DVD, there are quite a few instances of curse words that are bleeped out. Now, I admit I'm partial to Disney, and I'm sure there's swearing that goes on in their movies, but they don't document it! I'm also somewhat troubled when Alec Baldwin swore every time he screwed up a line, even in front of child actor Spencer Breslin. I'm sure Spencer has heard those words before; but c'mon, Alec, hold your tongue!!
The characters were also extremely annoying. One of the most annoying things a person can do is laugh at their own jokes, and that's exactly what The Cat did, ALL THE TIME! It drove me nuts!!! As for Thing 1 & Thing 2, they just seemed demonic and possessed as they scrambled around everywhere, speaking an unintelligible language. They reminded me of the "Teletubbies." (There's just something about a baby's face in a sun that just freaks me out!) Alec Baldwin's villain was also super-annoying. Why was he so bent on sending Conrad to military school, and how could Kelly Preston's character ever fall for him?
As you can see, there are just so many things to criticize "The Cat in the Hat" about (oh, and I can't forget the Paris Hilton cameo!) However, I will say that the visuals were pretty good, and they stick in your head for a while. Also, Dakota Fanning is a fine, little actress, even though she seems to be getting typecast as the uptight kid, because her acting abilities are up there with veteran actors. Other than that, "The Cat in the Hat" is just a disturbing picture that is a slap in the face of the great Dr. Seuss.
My IMDb Rating: 3/10. My Yahoo! Grade: D (Dreadful)
"The Cat in the Hat's" style of humor is very odd to say the least. The screenplay is written by writers from "Seinfeld," the "Clerks" animated series, and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" - all shows that I love - but these writers just didn't make the proper transition to the family genre. I can only think of two moments that I thought were genuinely funny - the "magical" lawyers and the melodramatic music The Cat plays on the organ. It just seems like they tried to make a family-friendly "Saturday Night Live," and it just failed miserably. I think they had a problem determining whom this movie was for. It can be too vulgar for the family set, and it's just too unfunny for the grown-up set.
I also question how the cast members approached this movie. If you check out the outtakes on the DVD, there are quite a few instances of curse words that are bleeped out. Now, I admit I'm partial to Disney, and I'm sure there's swearing that goes on in their movies, but they don't document it! I'm also somewhat troubled when Alec Baldwin swore every time he screwed up a line, even in front of child actor Spencer Breslin. I'm sure Spencer has heard those words before; but c'mon, Alec, hold your tongue!!
The characters were also extremely annoying. One of the most annoying things a person can do is laugh at their own jokes, and that's exactly what The Cat did, ALL THE TIME! It drove me nuts!!! As for Thing 1 & Thing 2, they just seemed demonic and possessed as they scrambled around everywhere, speaking an unintelligible language. They reminded me of the "Teletubbies." (There's just something about a baby's face in a sun that just freaks me out!) Alec Baldwin's villain was also super-annoying. Why was he so bent on sending Conrad to military school, and how could Kelly Preston's character ever fall for him?
As you can see, there are just so many things to criticize "The Cat in the Hat" about (oh, and I can't forget the Paris Hilton cameo!) However, I will say that the visuals were pretty good, and they stick in your head for a while. Also, Dakota Fanning is a fine, little actress, even though she seems to be getting typecast as the uptight kid, because her acting abilities are up there with veteran actors. Other than that, "The Cat in the Hat" is just a disturbing picture that is a slap in the face of the great Dr. Seuss.
My IMDb Rating: 3/10. My Yahoo! Grade: D (Dreadful)