An Actual Review of The Cat in the Hat (2003)

The 2003 movie adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” received negative reviews from critics. Richard Roeper of Ebert & Roeper called it "a film adaptation with big-buck effects, but no soul to speak of". Nick Schager of Nitrate Online said that "The Cat in the Hat isn’t so much a movie as an extremely long commercial for Universal’s Dr. Seuss-inspired products and tie-ins". The movie is also rated 9% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie received over-all negative reviews from critics, but there are some positive reviews as well. According to Common Sense Media, "The great thing about the irrepressibly anarchic Cat in the Hat is that even Hollywood can’t contain him. They can stretch out the story with filler that ranges from the superfluous to the distracting and once in a while reaches the level of oh-no-not-that-again. But every time the Cat takes over, it is entertaining". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said that "The Cat in the Hat is a movie that will appeal to younger viewers, and provide them with 82 minutes of harmless entertainment".

I myself must disagree with the rather droll tastes of the esteemed Mr. Roeper! I found the film was filled with soul. Was it the soul stolen from a poor orphaned Victorian boy dying of cholera and suffering terrible ergot hallucinations? yes. But that is still a soul! As for the irresponsible Chicago Sun-Times, "harmless entertainment"?!?! I would be quite put upon to call the actions the Cat does and encourages! There's couch jumping, stair surfing, reckless underage driving, babysitter flume rides, and unsupervised baking! Just to name a few!

On top of this is the numerous adult jokes and moments that are massively inappropriate for a children's movie, the most egregious is when the Cat takes the children into an underground nightclub and he openly leers at a young Christina Marie Kirkman (of All That fame) in an openly lecherous way.

Though to end on a positive note, Mike Myers really brings his all to the role, and is quite enjoyable to watch as a more adult viewer. Mr. Myers never seems to fear a joke falling flat and like many of his acting ventures is full of truly entertaining and questionable accents.
Surprisingly the original plan was for Tim Allen to play the role, but one would have to wonder if that could have worked half as well.

Other notable actor in the film, Alec Baldwin, failed to impress. His performance was far from a bang, and was quite flat and two dimensional even for such a film. It only acts to further the harmful and often false image of the "evil step-father/Mom's Boyfriend" trope that plagues much of media aimed at young people.

In the end The Cat in the Hat is what I would call a bizarre yet enjoyable Rough Gem, something sea glass. Made of trash, but time has softened it and made it something unique and enjoyable. Though I suggest watching it with friends to laugh and make jokes along the way!
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Please, feel free to share your own thoughts on the film in the replies!