I assumed that "The Cat in the Hat" was most likely a terrible film, as it's currently #79 on IMDB's infamous Bottom 100. This inclusion is recent, as the website changed its parameters for admission to the list to only include more commonly seen films. Before this, films with only a few dozen scores could make the list...now it only includes movies which were rated by at least 1500 users. This change means that many Hollywood films are now on a list which previously was inundated with more independent features. Most of the films newly to the list are dreadful....but being a bad film junkie, I am a glutton for punishment! Going into the film I assumed it would be bad but was willing to give it a chance...like I enjoyed "The Flintsones in Viva Rock Vegas" (currently #70, though I enjoyed it and scored it a 6).
So is the film bad? Absolutely. In fact, it's horrible and painful to watch. There are two main reasons for this. First, the original Dr. Seuss story was very brief and a movie based on it might only last 10 minutes. So, the studio added a lot....and much of what they added (such as the obnoxious boss and the obnoxious neighbor) was just annoying. Second, not to be outdone by these additions, Mike Myers made his character, the Cat, truly obnoxious and hateful. He talks almost non-stop when so often the film would have worked better had he just shut up! A few times, his prattling was also very child un-friendly--with crude commments that most kids wouldn't understand and a shot to the groin that shouldn't be in a kids movie in the first place?! The bottom line is that the film is annoying and dreadful instead of being fun...and the original story was all about kids meeting a cat who was a lot of fun. In many ways, the film is much like an endurance contest that dares you to turn it off....it's THAT bad. By comparison, Myer's "Love Guru" is practically a Truffaut masterpiece!!
Parents...think twice about letting your children see this movie...it might just make them stupider...particularly if they like it! Also, after the movie was over, my wife (who had slept though almost the entire movie) said "Why was that movie so LOUD?!"....I couldn't have said it much better myself!
So is the film bad? Absolutely. In fact, it's horrible and painful to watch. There are two main reasons for this. First, the original Dr. Seuss story was very brief and a movie based on it might only last 10 minutes. So, the studio added a lot....and much of what they added (such as the obnoxious boss and the obnoxious neighbor) was just annoying. Second, not to be outdone by these additions, Mike Myers made his character, the Cat, truly obnoxious and hateful. He talks almost non-stop when so often the film would have worked better had he just shut up! A few times, his prattling was also very child un-friendly--with crude commments that most kids wouldn't understand and a shot to the groin that shouldn't be in a kids movie in the first place?! The bottom line is that the film is annoying and dreadful instead of being fun...and the original story was all about kids meeting a cat who was a lot of fun. In many ways, the film is much like an endurance contest that dares you to turn it off....it's THAT bad. By comparison, Myer's "Love Guru" is practically a Truffaut masterpiece!!
Parents...think twice about letting your children see this movie...it might just make them stupider...particularly if they like it! Also, after the movie was over, my wife (who had slept though almost the entire movie) said "Why was that movie so LOUD?!"....I couldn't have said it much better myself!