This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful make-believe world, the film tell... more »s the classic tale of a sister and brother, Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin), who pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill), during which they receive a visit from the mysterious Cat in the Hat, who leads them on a series of colorful, illogical, silly misadventures. Meanwhile their mother (Kelly Preston), her paranoid boss (Sean Hayes), and her phony boyfriend (Alec Baldwin), present obstacles for the children as they become part of the Cat's chaotic world. With candy colored sets that pop off the screen and zany special effects that give the story a decidedly 21st century spin, this movie presents a fast-paced and very nontraditional rendering of Dr. Seuss. The rhyming lines that usually characterize Dr. Seuss stories are referenced here, but modern jokes that riff on television advertisements and pop psychology are given more importance. Dakota Fanning is utterly adorable as little Sally, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are delightful in their chittering and acrobatics. A bright and happy film packed with dazzling stunts, DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT is an entertaining treat.« less
Set to be great but it failed in more than one way.
Joshua W. (TheIjoshua2) from FAYETTEVILLE, GA Reviewed on 9/2/2011...
AMASING, MY KIDS AND I LOVE IT
2 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Jasmine R. from HIAWASSEE, GA Reviewed on 12/30/2009...
This movie is NOT appropriate for young children. I was really disappointed that this "childrens movie" is more geared towards adults. They make a bad joke about a dirt hoe and Paris Hilton is wearing what appears to be a stripping outfit dancing at a club. I would NOT recommend this for young children.
8 of 10 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
No, really, it's terrible.
Benjamin | ATLANTA, Gabon | 12/02/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Someone wrote a review previously that said parents who were bashing this thing that dares to call itself DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT had forgotten that the primary reason for its existence was to entertain children. They wrote that their children's laughter was the most important thing to remember when sitting through this horrible piece of dreck.Visually, this film is interesting in the same way an acid dream would be. The actors are a group of talented people. But, in case you didn't notice it when you were watching the film or have had the good fortune not to see it yet, the jokes are lewd and inappropriate; the story was bloated unnecessarily. The movie exists for no reason except to make money. It was not done in the spirit of the original book. It was not done because someone found an appropriate or inspired approach to the material. (In fact, the film is boring, insipid, confusing and, for no reason at all, includes jokes about lawyers and insurance - jokes that I hope were lost on children.) The book is simple, entertaining, brief and to-the-point. It makes reading fun, and it encourages children and beginning readers to embrace a practice that will enrich their minds. This film does none of that. It's not even funny.Mike Myers would be better used in something else. Alec Baldwin really needs to find better projects than this. Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin are talented young actors who deserve better material, rather than having to create characters stuck in the middle of a mindless special-effects extravaganza.THE CAT IN THE HAT, if there was any justice, should make no money in the theaters. (Unfortunately, though, it has.) But a lot of people who've seen it hate the film. Hate it. Hate hate hate hate hate it. Take that as a warning."
LET'S HOPE IT'S THE LAST?
Benjamin | 11/21/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we went to the movies
On that cold, cold, wet day.The Cat in the Hat
Was the movie we watched,
With a nightmarish Cat
In a role that was botched.Like the Grinch, this sad movie
Was doomed from the start,
With script far too long
For the story at heart.Yes, all the producers
Worked hard, it is true,
To stretch this short tale
To an hour or two But, no matter their efforts,
The result was quite bad
Leaving true Doc Seuss fans
Feeling tired and sad.The book's famous story
Was twisted and bleary,
With rampant ad libbing
And a Cat far too eerie.Why can't we accept
That it just isn't groovy
For every kids' story
To become a live movie?Seuss's quaint drawings,
So lithe and elastic,
When applied to us humans
Become something quite spastic!It's time to accept
That they don't translate well
To the dimensions of people.
It's a jump that won't sell!The fish was the one thing
This movie could boast.
Against which the live actors
Quite simply were toast!Why not make a movie,
Like old Monsters, Inc.?
Like the Toy Story flicks?
It would fly, I should think.Then the Cat and the Grinch,
Like the fish in this show,
Could just be themselves.
It would work, I just know!This movie, let's hope,
With its garbed human actors,
Is the last one we'll see
For the above-mentioned factors.Let's hope beyond hope
It's the last of abuses
To beloved childhood memories
And these stories of Seuss's.So if it's the Cat in the Hat
That you crave,
Just stick to the book.
There, I've finished this rave.Douglas McAllister"
This is not "The Cat in the Hat"
Benjamin | 12/05/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I had heard some negative things about this movie but out of curiosity I decided to go see it. I figured that most of it was over blown. I am thankful that I didn't take any children to it. This movie is not appropriate for children. It is disrespectful to the spirit of "The Cat in the Hat" and all fine children's books. The humor is in the poorest taste. There is nothing funny about hepatitis. I now see why I was the only one in the theater."
If I could give it a triple minus - I would.
Kitty | London, UK | 12/12/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Amazon put The Cat in the Hat books in the 5-8 age catagory, yet Universal saw fit to include, swearwords, implied blasphemy, vulgarity and sexual innuendo in a children's classic.I took four children to see this film, three left in tears having watched their childhood illusions shattered. Please don't take your children to see this film without watching it first."