Movie · 2000 · Family, Comedy, Fantasy · 1h 45m · PG · English
Curator score: 3.9/10 (1.5M ratings)
You better watch out!
Overview
The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...
Ratings
Curator score: 3.9/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.59/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Metacritic: 46
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Ron Howard
Production
Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, LUNI Productions
Cast
Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard, Josh Ryan Evans, Mindy Sterling, Bryce Dallas Howard, Lacey Kohl, Rachel Winfree, Rance Howard, Jeremy Howard, T.J. Thyne, Nadja Pionilla, Jim Meskimen, Michael Dahlen, David Costabile, Mary Stein
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, messy, very committed holiday spectacle that works best as a piece of live-action cartoon chaos. Jim Carrey’s performance, the production design, and the movie’s oddball sweetness give it enough personality to outweigh its excesses.
Best for
Viewers who like big, elastic comedy performances
Families okay with some creepy-uncanny holiday whimsy
Fans of glossy early-2000s studio fantasy
People who enjoy Christmas movies with a mean streak and a heartwarming payoff
Skip if
You want a faithful, low-key Dr. Seuss adaptation
You dislike broad slapstick and hyperactive comedy
Uncanny makeup and exaggerated production design bother you
You prefer your holiday movies gentle, cozy, and subtle
Overview
Ron Howard’s adaptation is less a tidy family classic than a feverish studio experiment: oversized, garish, and weirdly sincere. The movie leans hard into physical comedy and production design, turning Whoville into a candy-colored pressure cooker and the Grinch into a full-body performance piece.
Worth noting
What keeps it afloat is commitment. Jim Carrey attacks the role with manic precision, and the film understands that the Grinch works best when he’s both ridiculous and wounded. That tension gives the story some emotional bite, even when the jokes are broad and the pacing is frantic.
Bottom line
It’s not the cleanest or most elegant holiday film, but it is memorable. For viewers open to something more chaotic than comforting, it delivers a strange, funny, and surprisingly affectionate Christmas mood.
Top Letterboxd reviews
👽 Zara 👽 (4★) · 9255 likes
Guys, is no one ever gonna talk about the fact that the Grinch's adoptive parents were a Whoville Lesbian Couple™ like guys????
Zā (Vanity Rex) (5★) · 8455 likes
Reasons why Letterboxd should take this film more seriously:
- Ron Howard's best film. Can you think of something better? I can't.- One of three Oscar noms Jim Carrey was robbed of.- I'm sorry but the script is funny as hell and makes this trainwreck so pleasing.- Utter madness on the screen.- ORIGINAL SONG "WHERE ARE YOU CHRISTMAS" SANG BY THE TALENTED FAITH HILL (and co written by the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey)-… more
issy 🥝 (3.5★) · 8134 likes
grinch: I’m over this dumbass whoville with all these fake ass whos
cindy lou: hey :)
grinch: hey!
grinch: fuckin bitch
neve (3.5★) · 6772 likes
"even if i wanted to go my schedule wouldn't allow it.
4:00: wallow in self-pity.
4:30: stare into abyss.
5:00: solve world hunger (tell no one).
5:30: jazzercize.
6:30: dinner with me. i can't cancel again.
7:00: wrestle with my self-loathing."
hello was just wondering when me and the grinch became the same person?
adambolt (3.5★) · 6313 likes
the fact the grinch sometimes wears clothes makes it more disturbing that he spends most of the movie butt ass naked