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Movies / On DVD / Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

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Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003)

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Reviews Counted:148

Fresh:18

Rotten:130

Average Rating:3.3/10

Consensus: Filled with double entendres and potty humor, this Cat falls flat.

Runtime: 72 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful... This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful make-believe world, the film tells the classic tale of a sister and brother, Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin), who pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill), during which they receive a visit from the mysterious Cat in the Hat, who leads them on a series of colorful, illogical, silly misadventures. Meanwhile their mother (Kelly Preston), her paranoid boss (Sean Hayes), and her phony boyfriend (Alec Baldwin), present obstacles for the children as they become part of the Cat's chaotic world. With candy colored sets that pop off the screen and zany special effects that give the story a decidedly 21st century spin, this movie presents a fast-paced and very nontraditional rendering of Dr. Seuss. The rhyming lines that usually characterize Dr. Seuss stories are referenced here, but modern jokes that riff on television advertisements and pop psychology are given more importance. Dakota Fanning is utterly adorable as little Sally, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are delightful in their chittering and acrobatics. A bright and happy film packed with dazzling stunts, DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT is an entertaining treat. [More]

Starring: Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning

Starring: Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Amy Hill, Sean Hayes, Brittany Oaks, Taylor Rice

Director: Bo Welch

Director: Bo Welch
Screenwriter: David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg
Producer: Brian Grazer
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/06/04
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/16/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The filmmakers seem to have decided that the Dr Seuss charm was too simple for them, opting instead for knowing, crude humour full of pop culture references

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/30/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a barrel of lunatic laughs.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/20/03
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle

It's not exactly the story you love, but at least it's a story you'll recognize.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
11/21/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Screenwriters Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and Dave Mandel have expanded the 220 words of Dr. Seuss's endlessly readable 1957 children's book into a filmic pastiche of quirky jolts and visual gibes that Mike Myers prances over as the irrepressible Cat in the

Full Review Source: Daily Radar | comment 1 Comment
05/13/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
Daily Radar

This adaptation departs from the kiddie classic with freewheeling abandon, but is faithful in the most important way: Wonders never cease.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/20/03
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

It would have been nice for Myers to be a little more original.

Full Review Source: Broomfield Enterprise | comment Comment
11/23/03
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi
Broomfield Enterprise

A spirited fantasy that doesn't slow down long enough for the viewer to think about its flaws.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
11/21/03
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

The Addams Family-Beetlejuice-Monkey Bone loving lot of you should RUN to this spectacular outrageously brave kaleidoscopic colorburst of a mindtripilous film. Not for kids...

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
11/19/03
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

After the wholesale botching of Grinch, The Cat in the Hat feels both faithful and fresh.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
11/20/03
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
11/22/03
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: 3BlackChicks Review | comment Comment
11/22/03
Kamal  'The Diva' Larsuel
Kamal 'The Diva' Larsuel
3BlackChicks Review

There are a few cinematic hairballs along the way, but most of the film is a great ride.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
11/20/03
Meg Jones
Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

I enjoyed the film!

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
11/20/03
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

So good it breaks your heart for not being better.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/21/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

This is not your father or mother's Cat in the Hat, certainly, and it has the decency -- or disregard -- not to be.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
11/21/03
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

Small kids should love it, and parents may find themselves pleasantly amused.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
11/21/03
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

August 01, 2007: Trailer Bulletin: Horton Hears a Who
The last few times somebody tried to turn Dr. Seuss into a movie, the results were ... How the Grinch Stole Christmas and (dear lord) The Cat in the Hat. And then somebody got... More...

June 02, 2006: Mike Myers to Adminster Some "Self-Help"
Funnyman Mike Myers looks poised to make a comeback after his "Cat in the Hat"-inspired vacation, and one of his new projects will be a goofy comedy about a nutty... More...

March 11, 2005: Fox & Blue Sky to do "Horton" via CGI
The Hollywood Reporter brings us news that Fox and Blue Sky Studios have won the rights to bring Dr. Seuss' classic "Horton Hears a Who" to the big screen. Blue Sky's... More...

October 28, 2003: News, reviews, links and pictures of The Cat. Opens in new window
More...

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