Joy in Whoville

Movie review

XXX "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," with Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Bill Irwin, Christine Baranski, Molly Shannon. Directed by Ron Howard, from a script by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. 100 minutes. Several theaters. "PG" - Parental guidance advised because of some crude humor.

It sometimes seems that Chuck Jones' 1966 version of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" has been shown on television as often as "The Wizard of Oz." It's had that kind of impact, so why fix what isn't broken?

For one thing, it's a short, and it's the kind of short that plays like a sketch for something bigger. Tim Burton and Henry Selick have acknowledged the influence of "The Grinch" in their own feature-length variation, "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Also irresistible: the possibilities of a live-action treatment of the story. Jones' version is a cartoon, though it relies so heavily on Boris Karloff's voice that it's easy to imagine another personality taking on the Grinch and providing a body as well. Why not Jim Carrey?

From Karloff to Carrey is quite a leap, yet he fits right into the role - heavy Rick Baker makeup, Grinch suit, painful contact lenses and all. He's not quite as boisterous as the old Carrey, but he gets under the devilish nerdiness of the Grinch and locates his inner Scrooge. If the script borrows from "A Christmas Carol" in order to fill out the story with motivating flashbacks, it does so with considerable craft.

The screenwriting team of Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit?") doesn't stray far from Dr. Seuss' original 1957 story line. A curmudgeonly hermit, Mr. Grinch, lives in a cave, where he sulks and nurtures his hatred of the Whos of Whoville, who are noisily preparing for the holidays. He is, however, not above mingling with them - in disguise.

"I guess I could use a little social interaction," says Carrey's Grinch, who can make himself sound so reasonable just before he unleashes his foul smells and unseasonal threats. There will be no joy in Whoville when he finishes snatching everyone's Christmas presents and dragging them to the top of his mountain, which resembles a crooked, dripping Matterhorn.

It's one of many visual triumphs from production designer Michael Corenblith, who also turns Whoville into a world with its own nutty Seuss-style design rules. The director, Ron Howard, seems so in awe of this creation that the actions of the performers occasionally appear haphazard. There are moments, especially in the early stages, when "The Grinch" looks like a busy set in search of a movie.

It doesn't help that James Horner's new songs ("Where Are You Christmas?," "Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?") stop the narrative in its tracks. Much better are the old ones from the television production, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas," written by Albert Hague and Theodor S. Geisel ("Dr. Seuss" himself) and recycled here.

Once the story establishes its grip, however, all reservations collapse, and "The Grinch" builds to a genuinely suspenseful and satisfying climax.

While Carrey's role is central, Howard allows for several others to shine: Jeffrey Tambor as the huffy mayor of Whoville; Christine Baranski as the glamourous Martha May Whovier; Bill Irwin and Molly Shannon as preoccupied parents; and Taylor Momsen as their child, Cindy Lou, who laughs at the Grinch while admitting to her own "yuletide doubts."