Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Christine Baranski
Director: Ron Howard
Category: I
The film: The story goes that Jim Carrey was desperate to land the role of the Grinch. While filming the Andy Kaufman biopic, Man On The Moon, he took time out to audition for both director Ron Howard and the widow of Theodore Geisel (aka Dr Seuss). Nothing unusual in that, until you learn Carrey was so into playing comedian Kaufman at the time that he auditioned for the Grinch as Kaufman playing Carrey playing the Grinch. Talk about dedication.
Carrey was made for this role: it's like an extension of the mad antics he fine-tuned through Ace Ventura and the like. A social misfit, the Grinch lives on the edge of Whoville - the town that turned him away for being 'different' when he was a child. A young, big-hearted girl tries to lure him back into the fold, but when that goes wrong the Grinch plans to steal Whoville's Christmas. It's a classic tale given a decent treatment, but it all depends on the 'Carrey factor': like him, and you'll laugh along; loathe him, and you'll be climbing the walls.
The extras: This one is full of treats. 'Max's Playhouse' features sing-alongs, read-alongs and games with the Grinch aimed directly at kids, while the 'Grinch' section of bonus material has the more 'adult' fare of out-takes (as expected, dominated by Carrey), deleted scenes and a decent-enough piece on how the special-effects gurus worked their magic. There's a DVD-Rom section thrown in with screen-savers, wallpaper and a game for the really obsessed.