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Synopsis
Bo Welch's The Cat in the Hat, like
the book on which it is based, tells the story of a brother and a sister left
alone in their house, where they suffer a home invasion by an enormous talking
cat who proceeds to demolish, and later repair, everything in the building.
Welch, however, complicates this story with a number of subplots, including a
party to be held by the children's mother, a nefarious neighbor, and a
pathetic, sleeping baby-sitter.
Analysis
While it does have the odd appealing
quality, The Cat in the Hat is, far more often, just painful to watch.
Many of the film's set designs, for instance, are impressive and delightful,
resembling places depicted in Dr. Seuss' books. Others are, unfortunately, dull
and ordinary. Sadly, the acting is never likely to impress the viewer and
ranges from mediocre to dreadful. Mike Myers' portrayal of the Cat is
particularly painful. He appears to be motivated by a belief that when
portraying an exaggerated character one needs to act in an exaggerated way. The
film could easily have been more entertaining had Myers approached the role in
a serious manner. Instead, he finds himself endlessly amusing, and a person who
laughs at his own jokes is rarely funny.
The Cat in the Hat is tedious, humorless, and frequently
annoying. The predictable story is burdened with the extraneous moralizing
common to many films aimed at children. Myers' portrayal of the Cat is
horrifically grating, and, while the other characters may not be as irritating,
they are far from engaging. The film is completely uninspired and entirely
forgettable. In fact, there is hardly an element in it that has not been seen
elsewhere dozens of times before.
Review by Keith Allen
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© 2004
movierapture@hotmail.com Keith
Allen. All rights reserved.
Revised 2005 |
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