Is it just me, or is the 2003, Mike Myers-starring The Cat in the Hat movie actually kind of good?
Yes, I know, I know. It probably is just me, since the movie was lambasted to high heaven when it first came out, having a critical Rotten Tomatoes score of only 10%. It was also one of the more regrettable characters from the comedian for many, as he was nowhere near as unforgettable as other Mike Myers’ roles, such as Wayne Campbell, or Austin Powers. In fact, most people probably wish they could forget him as The Cat in the Hat.
And yet, is it strange that I actually really like this movie? Probably not if you’ve read some of my recent articles, like where I defended the likes of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and the craptacular superhero flick, Batman & Robin. But, unlike those two aforementioned movies, I genuinely think 2003’s The Cat in the Hat is pretty good (as opposed to just being so-bad-it's-good), and I have five reasons why.
The Adult Jokes Are REALLY Adult
Since I didn’t have children all the way back in 2003, I didn’t see The Cat in the Hat when it initially came out. Lord no. Back in 2003, I was probably too busy defending movies like Ang Lee’s Hulk (which is definitely one of my favorite Marvel movies not in the MCU) or Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines to even bother seeing this kid's movie.
No, no. I actually saw The Cat in the Hat quite recently, as (How else?) it was on Netflix, and my kids clicked on it. But, this wasn’t like when they clicked on Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I also kind of like. No, I had already seen that movie and was just reappraising it. Here, I was watching for the very first time WITH my kids. And, let me tell you, I couldn’t believe some of the stuff that I was seeing in this “kids’ movie.”
For instance, the first time my kids were watching it, I was kind of paying attention, but also kind of on my phone. However, when I heard Myers say, “Dirty ho!”, I instantly looked up and exclaimed, “What’d he just say?” The visual didn’t help, either, as I found him in a cat suit petting a garden hoe and getting ready to lick it, all set to some seemingly bow-chicka-wow-wow music. When my kids asked, “What? Why’d you get all excited?” I of course shrugged it off and said, “Oh, nothing, nothing,” but I damn well made sure to pay closer attention to the rest of the movie after that.
Or, what about the infomercial where Myers is playing two separate cat variations, and says that the other one is stupid and that his mom is ugly? In this scene, the cat threatens to kill the other, blond-haired version of himself, and says that he’ll make it look like an accident.
The fact is, these aren’t the kinds of jokes that you’d typically find in movies like Shrek or Kung Fu Panda (though Lord Farquaad is pushing it). No, no. These are jokes that are skipping the kids altogether, and just going straight for the adults. As long as my kids don’t actually get them, I’m kind of okay with that.
It Really Does Visually Look Like A Dr. Seuss Book
My mother-in-law really loves Jim Carrey’s version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and we watch it almost every year. If I’m being completely honest, though, I find that movie to be torture! I don’t find Carrey’s mugging for the camera to be funny in the slightest (which I’ll get back to later), and I also just really don’t like the story in the first place, so I always balk whenever we have to watch it.
That said, one nice thing that I can say about that film is that it does look like a Dr. Seuss book, what with all the strange hairstyles and whatnot. However, The Cat in the Hat takes it to a whole other level with the vibrant colors, the bizarre architecture, and just the overall look of everything.
In fact, the movie might be going overboard a little bit. I have The Cat in the Hat book, and I’ve read it several times, both as a child and as an adult, and in no way, shape, or form is it as explosively colorful as this movie. In fact, I have a hard time thinking of any movie that pushes it to 11 in the visual department like this one. Sure, Myers looks pretty ridiculous in that costume (and nowhere near as good as Carrey in his make-up), but everything around him looks amazing. No lie.
I Never Get Tired Of Mike Myers' Manic Energy In This Movie
I really like Mike Myers. Always have, always will. His manic energy has always been contagious, and I think Austin Powers was probably the best point in his career, as I never get tired of the “Yeah, babies” or the way he pronounces words like, “Lay-zer.” Honestly, there will be nothing better than that character for me, so I’m not putting The Cat in the Hat anywhere near that pedestal.
That said, I still think Myers does a really great job as the Cat. I mean it’s nothing, and I mean nothing, like any other version of the character, as he’s genuinely just going nuts in the role. I seriously can’t get enough of his high octane performance, however, as he really does carry the entire movie for the better portion of this movie’s extremely short 82-minute runtime.
I Don't Find It Annoying Like I Do The Jim Carrey Grinch Movie
Can I just circle back to The Grinch movie for a second? One reason I really don’t like that film is that I find it extremely annoying. When I ranked the live-action Batman movies, I put Batman Forever pretty low on the list, and one of the main reasons is because I absolutely cannot stand Jim Carrey’s version of The Riddler. I know, I know. How could I hate it, right? That was when he was in his prime, just flying high off of the success from movies like The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Whereas I love those two aforementioned Carrey movies, though, I detest his role as The Riddler, and I think he sinks the whole movie. Well, while he isn’t the star attraction of Batman Forever, he is the main focus in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and that performance has always just rubbed me the wrong way. In fact, I think I like everything about that movie except for Carrey, and it might be because I feel he’s playing more a Jim Carrey-type rather than The Grinch himself.
However, I don’t feel that way about Mike Myers in The Cat in the Hat, which is strange since he’s doing the exact same thing. Instead of playing The Cat, he’s pretty much just playing Austin Powers meets Shrek, and…well, I actually find it enjoyable. The Cat in the Hat is a pretty short book as it is, and I find it impressive that Mike Myers is able to keep my attention for the entire time that he’s in it, which is more than I can say for Carrey's Grinch.
It's Actually Not A Terrible Companion Piece To The Book That It's Based Off Of
Lastly, as far as adaptations go, The Cat in the Hat isn’t terrible. I mean, there really isn’t much to the story as it is: two kids are bored, a cat comes around and basically messes up their house, only to fix it back up again before their mother gets home. The movie is pretty much just that.
Honestly, I don’t think many fans of the book would come away saying, well, that was nothing like the story I grew up with, because it is. It very much is. When it comes to the plot, that is. It’s all the other stuff, like Myers’ performance, that people often cite as the problem with this movie, but as I said earlier, that just adds to the fun for me. So yeah, I think the movie makes for a pretty good companion piece to the famous children’s book. Hoes and all.
What do you think? Are you as harsh on this movie as pretty much everybody else? For more news on all things Dr. Suess, make sure to swing by here often!
