The Grinch
Charming as an eel, a bad banana with a greasy black peel, the grumpy Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) of Whoville is dead set on destroying the fun of Christmas, but with what success, and what will single mom Donna Lou Who (Rashida Jones) and daughter Cindy (Cameron Seely) have to say about the matter?
Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier and written by Michael LeSieur, based loosely on the book by Dr. Seuss, this absolutely unnecessary updating and recreation of an animated classic offers little to no sustenance or raison d’être. Sure, the textures and colors in this go round look pretty; but, a screenplay that breaks classic rhyming schemes and tosses imagery aside like yesterday’s news robs much of the original Seussian charm to create a shell of what once stood proudly as the peak of of Bah Humbug, alas no more. Score and music by Danny Elfman, with inspiration from the original works is particularly un-inspiring, you did us dirty Danny, you did us dirty. Meanwhile Cumberbatch as the Grinch appears to be a misfire on all cylinders, the least casting director Barbra Harris could have done would be to match a voice equally gravelly to that of…oh…I don’t know…Tom Waits, to fill the role, but no. So there, I hated it. BAH HUMBUG! The Grinch is rated PG.