Okay, I DO NOT want to preach about the importance of Christmas because I understand and acknowledge that there are a great many different holidays, which are heavily eclipsed by this over-commercialized and over-dramatized day. However, in talking about a “Christmas Movie,” it is difficult to talk about themes, characters, and especially visuals, without addressing the ideas behind the holiday. As such, I may have to draw on some of my own interpretations about the holiday in discussing this film. Mainly because… and I have no idea how it happened… this MAY be my favourite “Grinch” film.
Do not misunderstand me… from a critical standpoint, the original 1966 short is still the best adaptation of the book: it’s the original, the clearest, the most succinct and clever delivery of the eternal message: “Christmas doesn’t come from a store… it means a little bit more.” The Ron Howard/Jim Carrey version has an engaging story and is an icon of the time, with two protagonists working together to inadvertently remind everyone what Christmas means. Both versions definitely show how the Grinch came to develop a hatred for the holiday and why he felt the need to steal it. Both films do also have a heartfelt climax where the Grinch realizes that he had it wrong and finally becomes accepted by the Whos when he admits his wrongdoings… even if the Jim Carrey version wrapped things up a bit too nice for the Grinch.
But this film…
First off… it’s an animated film, which for me goes a long way in making it more appealing. Like <i>Into the Spider-verse</i> and <i>Clone Wars</i>, this creates a huge benefit for the film in terms of physical action as well as design. The lighting and scenery is beautiful: there are wonderful shades of blue, which contrast nicely with the red and green colours of Christmas. There seems to be a heavenly blur around the movie. I love the sparkle of the snow. While the camera work may not be as impressive as films like <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i>, I do enjoy the frequent use of long takes and the smooth camera movements. I love the lack of realism in the textures, it’s a nice break from trying to make an animated film feel like the real world. This is a movie for kids and it’s wonderfully animated.
They play with some interesting sounds in the film. It’s most noticeable when the Grinch, Fred the Reindeer, and Max are sneaking through the snow and it’s louder than a megaphone. It’s a nice little joke about things being louder than ever when you need them to be quiet. But the way the gadgets sound when he steals Christmas, the echo in his cave, even the clinking of the coffee cups, they all add to the realism of the world. But these sounds aren’t so overbearing that they distract from the visuals or the vocal performances.
There is, however, an exception to that: the music. I like Pharrell Williams as a singer… I detest his voiceover in this film and the “Grinch rap” at the beginning. For the latter, if they had just set it up as a song that The Grinch had made for himself, that would’ve been funny and it would’ve explained why some of the lyrics don’t make sense in this context (referring to his absolutely perfect teeth being described as yellow). Basically, if that had been the joke, it would’ve just been the Grinch trying to maintain a certain reputation. In the case of the narration, however… this is the film’s weakest aspect. I understand the need to have it, particularly with it being a Dr. Seuss book, and that rhyming is a bit of Christmas cliches. Having said that, the narration is really the only dialogue in the film that feels on-the-nose (“All this excess and nonsense, it was all about greed / about meaningless stuff that they didn’t even need”), overt and unnecessary (talking about how he walked through the whos and lights while he’s doing exactly that), contradictory (“Roast Beast is something he could not stand in the least” while the Grinch looks at the Roast Beast like it would cure his depression) or just plain lame (Grinch: “And they’ll sing.” Narrator: “Yes he couldn’t recall without feeling the sting”). There are a couple of instances in which it works such as when the Grinch admits “it’s better this way,” which would mostly work in context, but does work with the narration. There are only two times where the music really works for me: once is during the opening with “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” because it feels like it’s symbolically emphasizing and/or foreshadowing the holiday closing in around him. It’s also just a nice and tense twenty seconds or so. The second, and more impactful, is during the “Whos Around the Christmas Tree,” which is beautifully updated and now includes the line: “Welcome Home,” which ties into the overall theme in the film about togetherness. Also, this singing is set up early on and ADDS to the emotional impact of the climax. Sorry 2000 version.
I’ll admit, at first, I was not pleased with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Grinch voice. The man has a godly vocal talent, nearly on par with Morgan Freeman or Michael Clarke Duncan, but plays the Grinch as a nasally and whiny person. Even worse, very much like Emma Watson as Belle, or Donald Glover as Lando, I thought that Benedict as THE Grinch would’ve been amazing. After some careful consideration… this may have been the right move, and here’s why: imagine Boris Karloff trying to act as this Grinch. Imagine the guy who played Frankenstein’s monster saying something like “genius starts with the abs, Max.” No doubt, that would be hilarious. Part of the reason Airplane worked so well was that they hired traditionally dramatic actors to take on funny roles, which was funny because they were stone-faced through the hilarity of the movie. That would’ve been funny here, too, but there would probably have been a disconnect between the film and it’s intended audience. As such, though I do yearn for Benedict to voice the Grinch in a more traditional manner, I do think his voice here serves THIS film better.
I can’t decide whether I love Kenan Thompson’s vocal performance as Mr. Brickelbaum or if I just love the character himself. Either way, every word he says gets a chuckle out of me. There’s this oblivious naivete to him that I find so endearing and Kenan plays it perfectly.
Everyone else is… fine. I like Cameron Seely’s voice as Cindy Lou-Who. Rashida Jones is great as her mother, Donna. Angela Lansbury as the Mayor was a nice cameo. And everyone else gets a line or two, so there’s not much to comment on there.
The story, in every version, has always centered around two key characters: The Grinch and Cindy Lou-Who. In the original, The Grinch was bitter, old, and angry, whereas Cindy was meant to offset this by displaying innocence and joy. In the Carrey version, The Grinch is bitter, old, and angry, whereas Cindy was naïve and confused, but the two of them were bound together to find the meaning of Christmas in a world that had forgotten. In this one, they updated it… in my opinion, very well.
The Grinch is old, but not as angry. However, I think they play up the “bitter” angle a lot more. During the brief flashback, we see that the Grinch felt isolated and alone, but also unwanted because he grew up in an orphanage. But we also see how badly he WANTS to be a part of Christmas. Again, this ties into the “togetherness” theme that the film has going for it. Since he couldn’t be a part of the holiday as a child, and didn’t understand what it meant, it makes sense that he would grow resentful of it. And even his misunderstanding of the holiday works here: he wants the decorations, the presents, the feast, and the family, but doesn’t get any of it. So, when everyone else is going completely overboard with their decorations and presents, and this is a routine thing, so of course he’s going to this it’s overkill and that these things represent the holiday. The film does not shy away from the fact that the Grinch is lonely and horribly depressed, but feels like Christmas is always going to be beyond his reach. Plus, I feel like it’s a nice touch that the Grinch turning around on Christmas isn’t so quick. His desire to be a part of the holiday is brought up several times, and the Whos singing was just the final push he needed to allow his heart to grow.
This Grinch also has a slightly different arc than his predecessors: while all have to learn the meaning of Christmas, the original had to learn to be less mean, Carrey had to be less judgemental. This Grinch needs to learn to open up to the world. At first, I hated the idea that the Grinch, the most notorious loner in pop culture ventured to Whoville for something as simple as “groceries.” However, after watching this a few times, I realized something: Whoville is not afraid of the Grinch. The addition of him being a boogeyman was exclusive to the Carrey version. This time, they barely acknowledge his existence, except when trying to spread Christmas joy to him. Brickelbaum even considers the Grinch to be his best friend.
This is where my interpretation of the holiday comes into play. As much as Christmas can be categorized as being too commercialized, especially with the presents, notice how the Whos rarely, if ever, mention presents in this film, rather focusing on the decorations and the trees. While these are not required for the holiday, they do help in one regard: spirit. Enthusiasm is very key in celebrating the things that matter to you, and I think these Whos, excessive as it is, are just showing a large (if somewhat obsessive) Christmas spirit. Thus, it can be argued that the Whos are keeping the spirit of Christmas alive in this little town.
In fact, besides the Grinch, only one other character really talks about presents (okay two, but that’s just a joke): Cindy. And even she says that she doesn’t want any presents, she just wants someone to help her mom. This is a wonderful subplot for a Christmas film. Sure, the workaholic or stressed single parent is a bit of a cliché, but looking back and seeing how hard some parents work just to give their kids a Christmas. It’s just a nice reminder of how much some parents do. Also, it’s nice to see a kid who notices this and just wants to help their parent instead of it being a message about them getting a present and feeling guilty for it.
Cindy is an interesting character. She and the Grinch meet early, but not long enough for her to retain that information, so it’s believable when she doesn’t recognize him later on, setting this film apart from the Carrey version. But that’s not why she’s interesting. In my review for Luca, I praised the children characters for being child-like, and Cindy is, for all her maturity in recognizing her mother’s struggle, very child-like. She’s energetic, excitable, doesn’t think things through, has huge gaps in her knowledge, and is impatient. It’s a very fun character.
One of the biggest upgrades for this film, though, is that the “Steal Christmas” part is the majority of the story. Most of Act Two is devoted to him planning the scheme, gathering intel, and getting all the tools/making all the gadgets he needs to pull it off, with the climax being stealing the holiday. I love that it often fails Wile E. Cyote style.
The BIGGEST upgrade, though, is the denouement. The final scene where the Grinch gets to carve the Roast Beast.
Throughout the film, The Grinch has been a loner and isolated himself from the Whos, unless required. Most of the film is tied around the theme of “being together,” which I’ve touched on a bit, so the Grinch, who never felt accepted, allowed, or even wanted, gets an invitation to Christmas dinner, and… it’s not perfect. He doesn’t suddenly get over his anxiety or his depression, but is now working towards fixing it. He isn’t accepted because he brought Christmas back, he’s accepted because he’s now trying to be one of them. His isolation is… mostly… self-imposed. As such, this sequence echoes Scrooge visiting his nephew in “A Christmas Carol,” where the curmudgeon finally let’s go of his anger and tries to be one with his community.
Since the news and the world has become increasingly negative, I want to close the review by mentioning some of my favourite details in the film, just to spread a little bit of joy:
1) The Grinch dyes his hair
2) Christmas music on every radio station (I hate it, but it’s very realistic)
3) Emotional Eating (very relatable)
4) The Grinch tries to destroy the tree, but inadvertently ends up being the one lighting it.
5) In the other versions, Cindy’s house was the first one that the Grinch goes to, but in this one, it’s the last, allowing him to absorb her words, rather than become distracted by his heist.
6) Cindy asks “Santa” to help her mom, and her helps her set the table in the end.
7) “I’m not complaining, I’m venting. There’s a difference.”
8) The first gift he truly gives is to his best friend, Max.
9) Grinch: “I stole your whole Christmas” / Cindy: “I know, but we’re inviting you anyway.”
10) Grinch’s relationship with Max is great, having them be more friends than in past iterations, to the point where Grinch is helping Max push the sleigh and apologizes for insensitivity. Most of their interactions are hilarious.
11) The Grinch feeling like he “needs to be alone” to save himself from the hurt in the beginning, but “needs to be alone” because he feels guilty after the climax.
12) Pretty much anything Brickelbaum says, but particularly when he declares the Grinch is his best friend.
13) The heist gang has some funny lines. Also, setting up that they’re off to plan the heist only to get called back home during the “riding in a straight line” cliché.
14) The Grinch’s Candy Cane invention that lights up, acts as a grappling hook, a hovering device, a magnet, a hook, and more. I want that Candy Cane.
15) The town not immediately forgiving him for stealing all the decorations and instead he leaves before they can.
16) The Cat attacking the Grinch (nice homage) and the Sleepwalking Who.
17) Fred having puppy eyes.
18) Max taking the covers from the Grinch.
19) The fact that this Santa outfit actually has a beard.
20) The Grinch builds a fake living room set with accurate presents and cookies.
21) The horn isn’t tied directly to Max’s head; it’s on a helmet.
22) Max’s little sidecar on the sled.
23) Max can read.
24) Groobert (maybe named for Gruber? From another Christmas move, <i>Die Hard</i>) having some funny ideas and lines that sometimes irritate Cindy. It’s kinda funny.
25) The Grinch rushing through his lie to Cindy as though he did actually think it up on the spot.
26) The “Portal 2” homage where the Grinch reveals his plan to Max on a giant chalkboard, which takes painstakingly long to reveal, only for it to display two words. It was hysterical.
About the Creator
B.D. Reid
A competition-recognized screenwriter and filmmaker, building to a career that satisfies my creative drive but allows me to have time for friends and family.
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