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The Cat In The Hat
2004
In this bright and happy film, set in a colourful make-believe world, Mike Myers (Austin Powers) plays the wily talking cat with plans to brighten up an otherwise very dull day for two lucky children. Sister and brother, Sally and Conrad, are forced to pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan but the .. Read more
| Starring | Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Sean Hayes |
|---|---|
| Director | Bo Welch |
| Genres | Children, Family |
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The Cat In The Hat
In this bright and happy film, set in a colourful make-believe world, Mike Myers (Austin Powers) plays the wily talking cat with plans to brighten up an otherwise very dull day for two lucky children. Sister and brother, Sally and Conrad, are forced to pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan but the Cat In The Hat has other ideas. The mysterious Cat leads them on a series of illogical - and sometimes downright silly - misadventures. Meanwhile their mother (Kelly Preston), her paranoid boss (Sean Hayes), and her obnoxious boyfriend (Alec Baldwin), present obstacles that the children must overcome as they become part of the Cat's chaotic world. With sets coloured loud enough to pop off the screen and zany special effects and dazzling stunts that give the story a decidedly 21st century spin, this movie presents a fast-paced and very non-traditional rendering of the Dr. Seuss classic.
| Starring | Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Sean Hayes, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin |
|---|---|
| Director | Bo Welch |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 16 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Children, Family |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 16 Aug 2004 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Dr Seuss's much loved children's book gets turned into ineffective big-screen mush in this colourful but lifeless adaptation. Learning no lessons from Ron Howard's delightful The Grinch, production designer turned-director Bo Welch makes scant use of Seuss's wonderful rhymes and pacing, instead delivering a horribly self-aware vehicle for Mike Myers's ego. There's little magic or charm here as youngsters Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin find a rainy day at home lifted by the mysterious appearance of a giant talking feline. Though the kids are great and the CGI fish hugely entertaining, Myers's fun-obsessed Cat is just plain annoying — his performance merely an amalgamation of every other comic character he's ever played. Consequently, no matter how hard debut director Welch tries with the imaginative visuals, most scenes fall flat when Myers is on screen. The creation of a romantic subplot to flesh out the original story, featuring Kelly Preston and a grotesque Alec Baldwin, is jarring and unnecessary too. A wasted opportunity.
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Among the grown-ups prancing like pantomime characters in this live-action version of Dr Seuss's appealing... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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60 out of 78 people found this review helpful
rent it ....... you know you want to !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I watched this film instead of, not because of, Mike Myers who is, apart from his excellent performance in Studio 54 a most over-rated talent,in my humble opinion.
I don't think his Cat was anywhere near a true reflection/interpretation of the character we see in the Dr. Seuss books. Myers does his own thing but in places is really,really funny (gulp!). My kids and I all loved it but then we are all male, so a succession of crude slapstick humour really appealed. My wife hated it probably because she is far too intelligent!
The film looks great. Reminiscent of Toys, the film makers have created a tremendously visual anarchic world that, to me, really appealed. The pace of the film is well-handled too.
On the downside, the kids are truely nauseating in that precocious way that American child actors seem to be. Dakota Fanning (nice name!) in particular made my skin crawl !! Alec Baldwin was a little hammy and Kelly Preston gave the impression that she was just there to make the numbers up.
In short, a very good Hollywood interpretation of an endearing classic. I have sat through some right old tosh with my kids (shudders at the thought of those accursed Pokemon movies!), but this film had enough to keep a fairly undemanding male like me perfectly entertained.
So leave your brain at the door, eat a bagful of blue Smarties and prepare yourself for a chucklefest!!! -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Excellent!
Excellent! Kids laughed and cried. Really brilliant. So funny.
Kids watched it 3 times in 2 days and would have watched it again and again but had to send it back!!! -
News and features
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Mike wants his MTV
- 10 Apr 2008
Austin Powers and Shrek star Mike Myers is to host the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, according to reports. The Canadian comedian, who shot to fame in the UK as heavy metal-loving slacker Wayne Campbell in 1992's Wayne's World, will take the helm at this year's show after winning the ceremony's top honour - the MTV Generation Award - in 2007. According to the BBC, previous categories at the awards bash have included best kiss and best fight. Myers, who also appeared in disco drama 54, Dr Seuss... Read more
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The Cat In The Hat
In this bright and happy film, set in a colourful make-believe world, Mike Myers (Austin Powers) plays the wily talking cat with plans to brighten up an otherwise very dull day for two lucky children. Sister and brother, Sally and Conrad, are forced to pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety ...
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