Film Stills: Photos

The How the Grinch Stole Christmas Store

The Video & DVD	The Books How the Grinch Stole Christmas	Soundtrack How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000)
DVD	VHS: Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957) Walter Matthau	VHS: Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas/ Horton Hears a Who (1966, digitally enhanced)

And then he stole the box office: The Grinch    
by Christian De Matteo

Super

How did a kid’s movie beat Mission: Impossible 2 for box office take in the year 2000?  Well, I for one saw it three times.  Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t have seen it three times if it wasn’t for friends and two beautiful little sisters who wanted to see it after I had, but I will tell you enjoyed it every time, as much as the first.  I actually saw the darn thing twice in one day, morning and night, and loved it both times.             But still, how was it so successful?

          A)    It was done by the right people:  Ron Howard, probably my very favorite director, and the man responsible for Apollo 13, Backdraft, The Paper, and Splash.  Howard knows how to combine emotion, comedy and action all the while remembering who is audience is… ALL of them.  His audience this time was kids, parents and everyone else.  Everyone loves Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and everyone would kill for a good movie version of it.  Howard pulls it off and does so in spades.  The movie will thrill the kids and also give adults plenty to laugh at, including some risqué jokes that the little’uns won’t get.

B)     Jim Carrey is the second part of the equation.  If you are part of my generation or older, you’ve had the privilege of watching him define the word “evolve,” and doing so without forgetting his roots.  The man is hysterical, and knows exactly what buttons to push and which ones to hold for another film.  I was concerned I’d be watching Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey, but instead he was The Grinch using all of Carrey’s best comedic qualities.

C)    The set is astounding.  As the camera enters the tiny snowflake the Whos live in, the viewer is sent deep into the imagination of Dr. Seuss, and it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go.  From what I understand the movie was given to Seuss’ widow for approval, and she loved it.  So did I.

D)    Finally the film has the truest Christmas spirit of any movie to come out in years and years.  And for that I applaud everyone involved.

Perhaps the only negative quality is that the movie is two hours, about a half hour to forty minutes too long for the youngsters.  But, personally, I’m selfishly glad about

The Rumor Mill &Trivia Section:    

Author Theordore Seuss Geisel and (after his death) his widow had been approached previously to authorize a live-action version of the story. After the success of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, Mrs. Geisel saw the potential of a live-action interpretation.

The photo of The Grinch in the Whoville newspaper has The Grinch in the same pose as an infamous alleged photo taken of the "Yeti" or "Sasquatch."

Everything in the film revolves around a swirl, the same as in the original drawings of the book. This includes the clouds. If you look closely at in several scenes, several times the initials "C.H.", "J.C.," and "R.H." briefly form as the clouds move. This stands for actor Clint Howard (Whobris), actor Jim Carrey (The Grinch), and director Ron Howard.

The prostetic make-up Jim Carrey wore took 3 hours to apply. Carrey felt so horribly confined and uncomfortable in the latex skin he needed counselling from a Navy SEAL who taught him torture-resistance techniques.

One morning, director Ron Howard came in at 3:30 to put on the Grinch suit with full make-up and directed the entire day with the suit on.  When Jim Carrey saw him in his make up chair, he ignored him, assuming he was a rude stunt double!