For me, the 1966 Chuck Jones-directed How the Grinch Stole Christmas has always been the greatest holiday TV special ever made. Charming, whimsical and, most importantly, succinct, it remains a Christmas staple in my house, even though my kids have long-since grown up. So naturally, the curmudgeonly boomer in me clutched his pearls at the thought of a live action feature-length remake. No way would this cynical cash grab ever play in my house!
Further fueling my ire…the 2000 remake features what might be the worst Christmas song not sung my Mariah Carey. I should know, because mere days after we’ve put away our Halloween decorations for the year, my daughters always manage to find a radio station playing holiday music. Year-in and year-out, “Where Are You Christmas?” is played incessantly. Where are you, Christmas? What the hell kind of question is that? Maybe the lyrics means something within the context of the film, but I wasn’t willing to endure it to find out. And even though Carey didn’t sing the song, I later learned she had a hand in writing it. I shoulda known.
But a funny thing happened over the last quarter-century. Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas became a holiday classic in its own right, and it’s this version of the story that’s earned an annual holiday viewing spot in many households, having been endlessly released & re-released in every home video format, including two previous 4K editions. I dunno…maybe it was time to set aside my presumptions and see what I’ve been missing (or more accurately, avoiding). So for what it’s worth, these are a few of my takeaways from watching it for the first time…
First and foremost, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a great looking film, bursting with color, vivid imagery and creative production design, especially its depiction of Whoville. Having never seen any previous home video format, I can’t say whether or not this new 4K edition is a significant improvement, but I was pretty impressed with the overall quality of the picture, which enhances the visuals. It also features a pretty solid Dolby Atmos audio track that nicely underscores its aesthetic.
And if you have to make a live action version of the Grinch, I concede that they couldn’t have picked a more suitable actor than Jim Carrey. While I’m not necessarily a big Carrey fan, he’s demonstrated brilliance in certain roles, especially those that require him to be more than a living cartoon. As the title character, he’s no Boris Karloff (who voiced the Grinch in the original), but is pretty entertaining here, and even buried under all that make-up, he manages to deliver a stand-out performance, though he sometimes makes the Grinch more scary than funny.
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| "Pull my finger, kid." |
Ultimately, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was better than I initially expected, though I don’t think I’d ever be compelled to give it another spin during the holidays. Still, I can see why many people do (likely those who didn’t grow up on the Chuck Jones masterpiece). It’s obvious a lot of love was put into the film - especially on the technical side - and you sure can’t accuse Jim Carrey of phoning it in. At the very least, its heart is in the right place, making it a bit more than a cynical cash grab. That song still sucks, though.
Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new 25th Anniversary edition. For those who already own previous 4K versions, the only upgrade is an all new retrospective documentary, which is pretty good and features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Speaking of Taylor, here’s a bit of interesting trivia: Once a child actor who played Cindy Lou Who, she has since become the lead singer of a hard rock band called The Pretty Reckless. Maybe they could’ve made “Where Are You Christmas” listenable.
EXTRA KIBBLES
4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES
25 YEARS LATER: THE GIFT OF THE GRINCH is a brand new retrospective documentary that looks back at the film. Features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Fans who’ve made this part of their holiday viewing tradition should enjoy it.
FEATURETTES - Several short featurettes (carried over from previous editions) focus on various aspects of the film, including make-up design, set design, visual effects and the design & creation of the people of Whoville.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Ron Howard.
DELETED SCENES
OUTTAKES
MUSIC VIDEO - “Where Are You Christmas?,” by Faith Hill. Ugh.
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