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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: Comedies

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 critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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

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: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/16/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

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

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat is perhaps the worst holiday movie ever made.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
11/20/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

It's a noisy nightmare, a hugely impersonal, manufactured product. It shows not only a complete disregard for children, but also utter contempt.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
11/21/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

I enjoyed the film!

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

Where The Cat book was anarchistic but ultimately sweet-spirited, this movie is ugly, dumb and colossally mean-spirited.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
11/20/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Comes scarily close to being the most unendurable Hollywood creation of the last dozen years.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/18/03
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice

Fascinating to look at though we hate to sound sore, but this cat should have known that less is way more.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
12/16/03
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

There are two, and only two, noteworthy things about The Cat in the Hat. It's visually impressive, and Mike Myers has a field day. Other than that, the movie is entirely forgettable.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
11/20/03
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Fun has never looked so tedious.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
11/21/03
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

much of the film is padded out by the comic business of Mike Myers' cat, in a deeply flawed role falling somewhere between a stand-up dying on stage or an alcoholic clown harassing kids at a birthday party.

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
09/10/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

I don't remember a rave scene with a cameo by hoochy hotel heiress Paris Hilton in Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, do you?

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
11/19/03
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The Cat is a letdown, I ruefully confess. Once again the studio has made Seuss a mess.

Full Review Source: Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) | comment Comment
11/20/03
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

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

The movie is so disappointing, in fact, that it makes Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas look like a masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/21/03
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

You can sum up the worthy aspects of this one in two words -- Mike Myers.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
11/21/03
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

The movie has some mildly amusing moments, but it completely lacks the wild glee and irresistible rhythm of the book.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/21/03
Mary Brennan
Mary Brennan
Seattle Times
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; 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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