All the signs leading up to this were dire, but honestly, I tried to like it. I was ready to like it. I pumped myself up for it. No go. Disaster, disaster, disaster. Disaster.
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
With the matted fur and white makeup, this Cat looks like a shirtless Robin Williams trying to do a dual impersonation of Paul Lynde and Grandpa Al Lewis.
Unless you have children who have been especially naughty and who are in need of severe punishment, avoid this film like the plague and stick with the original book.
The movie is overproduced in every way but the most important one: Other than an occasional token rhyme, this Cat in the Hat lands flat-footed and with tin ear, drained of its essential Dr. Seussness.
A vulgar, uninspired lump of poisoned eye candy that Universal has the temerity to call Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat.
If directing bad movies were a sin to confess, Bo Welch would say oops for making this mess.
No doubt Myers's fans will find something to like, but others may find themselves quoting the good doctor: 'All we could do was to/ Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!/ And we did not like it./ Not one little bit.'
The movie includes little of Seuss' language and even less of his wit.
Myers isn’t playing a character. He’s just doing comedy sketches in a strange costume and makeup while stealing Charles Nelson Reilly’s voice.
This adaptation departs from the kiddie classic with freewheeling abandon, but is faithful in the most important way: Wonders never cease.
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.
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat is perhaps the worst holiday movie ever made.
Little more than an assaultive sequence of skits meant to showcase Mike Myers’ gifts as a rat-a-tat purveyor of impressions.
[a] kiddie-coated clunker...The Cat in the Hat has the numbing staying power of sniffing artificial catnip...is one flick that is neutered down in its hackneyed state of mind
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. ![]()
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