TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . ABOUT US . CONTACT . CHAT  
Bomis   Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
The Cat In The Hat

The TVClubHouse: Archives: Movies & Library 2003 -2004: Movies: May 2003 - April 2004: The Cat In The Hat users admin

Author Message
Sillycalimomma

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 2:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Help! Maybe someone could give me some advice here. My brother went to this movie with his 5 year old son and said he wished he had not taken him. He felt that there were too many inaporiate adult issues brought up. This is a bit unusual for him to say. I have a six year old daughter and we have plans to see this movie over Christmas break with her fathers side of the family. What were your opinions anyone? Is is safe to take a six year old too? And Grandma and Grandpa for that matteR? Thanks!

Texannie

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 2:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I have heard that there is some "adult" humor. Here is the review from kids in mind

http://www.kidsinmind.com/D/drseussthecatinthehat.htm

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat





MPAA Rating: PG


Mike Myers stars in the title role of Dr. Seuss' classic 1957 story of mischief: Conrad and Sally are left at home with a sleepy sitter and are ordered not to go into the living room "or else" by their mom. Well, just when things become more boring than they can bare, a giant, talking, not-so-good-at-rhyming cat in a striped stove-pipe hat appears at their door wanting to play. And, play he does until their house is in rubble and the children are begging him to leave. Also with Spencer Breslin, Dakota Fanning, Alec Baldwin and Sean Hayes. Directed by Bo Welch. (1:22)

SEX/NUDITY 3 - A man and a woman kiss on the cheek. The Cat reacts with interest when he sees a woman's photograph (it unfolds like a centerfold and he makes noises like "hamana-hamana-hamana"). The Cat admires a young woman dancing in a short top and skirt (she has a bare abdomen and cleavage). The Cat dresses up like a female entertainer and he wears melon halves to cover his buttocks and a bikini top. The Cat begins to describe "where he came from": "When a mommy and a daddy cat…" The Cat says to a garden hoe "you dirty ho," then he acts like he is going to lick it. The Cat bends over and we see bare buttocks (they're prosthetic). A woman wears a short skirt and a tight top that reveal her bare lower thigh and cleavage.

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A man yells at a man, a man yells at a woman, a man yells at a boy and a girl and threatens them. A boy and his mother say hurtful things to each other. A fish is thrown into a toilet and he says, "this is where they killed my brother." The Cat pulls out a cleaver, threatens a man, and then cuts his own tail in half (we see him with a bandage later). A man falls from a high ledge into water below. A car spins out of control, it nearly runs into a truck, and then it crashes into a sculpture. The Cat is hit many times by children with bats (they think he's a piñata), and once in the crotch (he screams). A girl gets sucked up into a swirling purple funnel cloud and then falls back down, and a man is squeezed out of a drain pipe and left covered with purple goo. We see a video on TV of a man tackling another man in a Parliament meeting, others join in and we hear punches and yelling. The Cat punches an elephant (we see the trunk and hear whimpering from within a sofa where they fight). A boy stuffs a loaf of bread down his pants to act as padding for a cookie sheet luge he does down a staircase; he ends up going through the open front door and crashes into a parked car (he doesn't appear injured). The Cat, a boy and a girl ride a woman through water like a water flume (they're sitting on her, and she's apparently asleep through the whole thing). A boy and a girl run screaming when they first see the Cat in the Hat A dog growls at a woman. The Cat threatens a boy with a bat. A man burps loudly, removes his girdle (his bare stomach is showing), picks his belly button, picks his nose and removes his false teeth. The Cat spits up a fur ball (it's huge and we hear squishing sounds), and he burps loudly. A dog urinates on a fire hydrant, a dog urinates in a man's food, and the Cat vomits in a bag a couple of times (we hear "splat"). The Cat has multiple piercings on his face. A man sneezes and purple goo comes out of his nose. A Thing chokes on paper and the other Thing gives him the Heimlich maneuver. The Cat's activities are cartoonish in nature but end up in a lot of property damage: The Cat flings a girl through the air and into a sofa, he flings a boy through the air (we hear a crash), he falls from a ceiling and lands on the floor, and an oven explodes and sprays purple goo all over the kitchen. Thing 1 and Thing 2 destroy a house: they throw dishes breaking them, they throw furniture, they splatter purple goo all around, they ride the babysitter down the stairs (her head goes thump-thump on the steps; she remains fast asleep). A house is covered with purple, bubbling goo, and a house collapses in rubble.

PROFANITY 2 - The Cat nearly enunciates 4 anatomical terms, 1 clinical scatological term, a device's acronym is spelled as the scatological term S.*.*.T., 2 mild obscenities, 1 religious exclamation (or it could have been "Oh my cod"), name-calling.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Obsessive/compulsive behavior, military school, child rearing, single parenting, trust, having fun, betrayal, deception, disappointment, boredom, product placement, learning from mistakes.

MESSAGE - Its fun to have fun, but you have to know when to stop.

(Note: A man carries a six pack of beer and we see many empty bottles in his house.)


» Parent's Evaluation from Grading the Movies

Texannie

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Another review
http://www.gradingthemovies.com/html/mv/gtm_mv001104.shtml

The MPAA rated Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (2003) PG for mild crude humor and some double entendres.

Arguably Dr. Seuss wrote for children. The rhythm and rhyme of his simple and sometimes nonsensical stories appeal to young listeners, beginning readers and older kids as well. So it only makes sense that a film (and a mass of merchandise) clearly targeted at children would at least resemble the childhood classic.


Far from it. Both the charm and the magic of his book has been set aside (in the spirit of artistic license I suppose) for this cheeky, irreverent interpretation of Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.

With enough face padding and white make-up to substantially minimize his human nose but not his personality, Mike Meyers is the outlandish cat with the red and white striped hat that mysteriously shows up on a gloomy, damp day at the house of Conrad (Spencer Breslin) and Sally (Dakota Fanning).

Compelled to spend a dreary afternoon with their soundly sleeping sitter (Amy Hill), the two siblings have strict orders to stay out of the freshly cleaned living room. Their mother, Joan (Kelly Preston), is hosting a big bash that evening for her germ-phobic boss (Sean Hayes) and other coworkers from the Humberfloob Real Estate office.

However, The Cat isn’t about to let a few directives, like no jumping on the couch, get in the way of his amusement. Appealing to the rule breaking inclinations of Conrad, he suggests some unorthodox activities that are sure to be fun, fun, fun. Even Sally, despite her better judgment and law-abiding proclivity, ultimately gets drawn in.

But as is all too often the case, a little unsupervised fun soon turns to bedlam. The grave results of their exuberant entertainment smack them in the face when a snoopy next-door neighbor barges in and gets wind of it all. Racing off to tattle to their mom, their neighbor leaves Sally and Conrad with little time to make things right.

Anyone who’s read the book will know how it all turns out. What they might not anticipate is the extra material added to embellish the script. Scatological jokes, a pin-up girl, double-entendres and the acronym for a vehicle that spells a profanity are a few of the things not found in the original story. Rough and tumble cartoon violence, a piddling pooch and a beer-guzzling boyfriend (Alec Baldwin) are crammed in along with a club scene featuring a minimally clad real-life socialite parading her wares and catching the undivided attention of The Cat.

While much anticipated by schools and libraries as a way to promote reading (like Holes, Tuck Everlasting and the Harry Potter series), this film may have more content concerns than poetic cadence when it comes to family viewers. In the style of Seuss, I have to say:

This cat in the hat
Is not for me.
No, no, not for me
Or my family.

Talk about the movie with your family...

Giving children rules is one thing but having them choose to obey them without adult involvement is another. How does your family teach your children to respond to that “little voice” The Cat admits he can “barely” hear?

The Cat brings one scene to a grinding halt to plug a pair of tickets for Universal Studios. How do you feel about sponsors and merchandising that are tied in with movies? Do you think that the interests of sponsors may have an effect on the content of a film?

Texannie

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 3:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I am really getting discouraged. My kids are older, but from the reviews, I don't know if I want them to see this either.
Here's some more.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JM7R/qid%3D1069607424/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-7183164-6951208

shame, shame, shame, November 22, 2003
Reviewer: Kimberley Lindsay Wilson (see more about me) from Richmond, VA USA
Warning. Do NOT take your little kids to this movie. Their beloved Cat in the Hat is turned into a really gross character here. Mike Myers seems to be doing a Jim Carey/Bert Larh (Cowardly Lion) imitation and it doesn't work. For reasons that aren't clear he also speaks his lines in a peculiar accent. The audience has to sit through flatulence and sexual jokes that would be funny except that this is supposed to be a kiddie flick. The worst moment comes when the Cat (who's way too fat and fluffy and looks nothing like the Cat in the book)gets aroused over a picture of Sally and Conrad's mom. Hopefully someone will learn a lesson from this and no more Dr. Seuss books will be ruined in this way. Grinch was bad enough but this one just plain dreadful.


Was this review helpful to you?



1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

MY KIDS LOVED THIS MOVIE!, November 22, 2003
Reviewer: james healy from Medford, NY USA
For all you people trashing this film remember the age group this film was made. My two girls are 5 and 9, both are bright and intelligent. They love to have me read them books everyday. They are begging to see this film again and to own the dvd when it is released. So for all of you out there (critics included) who hate this movie, please get over it. Life is too short. Your child's laughter and enjoyment should be more important.


Was this review helpful to you?



0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

One of the Holiday's Best New Movies!, November 22, 2003
Reviewer: An Amazon.com Customer
Okay, if you didn't like The Grinch (trust me, I didn't either), and don't plan on going to see The Cat in the Hat, then you're making a BIG MISTAKE! Here's why. All of the songs and the rhyming in The Grinch ruined the movie. But in The Cat in the Hat, the narrator, who only narrates a little bit during the movie, is the only one who does the rhyming. Oh, and also the Fish does it a little bit too. Songwise though, there is only one song done by The Cat. All the rhyming and song is done at the beginning of the movie. But the best part is the movie's humor. There's no swearing and it's just good fun. So if you just want to let loose, go see this movie.


Was this review helpful to you?



0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

One of the Holiday's Best New Movies!, November 22, 2003
Reviewer: Pat M. from Grafton, Wisconsin United States
Okay, if you didn't like The Grinch (trust me, I didn't either), and don't plan on going to see The Cat in the Hat, then you're making a BIG MISTAKE! Here's why. All of the songs and the rhyming in The Grinch ruined the movie. But in The Cat in the Hat, the narrator, who only narrates a little bit during the movie, is the only one who does the rhyming. Oh, and also the Fish does it a little bit too. Songwise though, there is only one song done by The Cat. All the rhyming and song is done at the beginning of the movie. But the best part is the movie's humor. There's no swearing and it's just good fun. So if you just want to let loose, go see this movie.


Was this review helpful to you?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ketchuplover

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 4:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I will not see this movie,it is anything but groovy :)

Jbean

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 8:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
i thought it was just ok.

Sillycalimomma

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 10:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Hmm.....
THANK YOU!!!
For looking into the reviews for me. I think that I will probably try and get the family to see ELF instead. Seems more appropriate for the WHOLE family young-old. Think I will wait for Cat in The Hat to be released to DVD so I can screen it first....
THANKS AGAIN!

Texannie

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 7:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Elf is wonderful!!!

Monkeyboy

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 4:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I liked it.

Ocean_Islands

Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 7:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Don't go. Not only are there inappropriate 'jokes' in "The Cat in the Hat", but the movie is not funny. I was dragged to it by my sister's family at Thanksgiving even though I told them it wasn't good, there was no arguing about it.

The NY Times reviewer called it 'a vulgar lump of poisoned candy'. I agree.

Your kids will probably love it. But they'd also love having candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner, too.

Azriel

Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 8:05 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I saw previews to it on Oprah and decided real fast that I didn't want to see it anymore. It looked awful! I sure wouldn't take a child to see it.

Sillycalimomma

Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 12:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Thats too bad because I just LOVE that little girl Dakota Fanning I think it is? I decided not to go see it at any rate and hope the family will not kill me for taking them to Elf instead!

Hummingbird

Tuesday, December 09, 2003 - 5:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
I won't see the movie. It's not just the bad reviews either -- I didn't like the book! That irritating cat messing up the house, making the kids worry about getting in trouble just made me nervous! My favorite Seuss work was (of course) Grinch. I also remember liking one about a pair of pants walking around with nobody in them that was scary and fun. Anybody remember that one and know the title?

Calamity

Tuesday, December 09, 2003 - 11:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post    
Hummingbird: The story was "What Was I Scared Of?" and can be found in The Sneetches and Other Stories. It's funny you posted about it because just this afternoon while waiting for a doctor's appointment, I was looking through an old library book about Dr. Seuss. It briefly mentions that story and calls it possibly Seuss' personal favorite.

My own favorite Seuss books are The Lorax and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?. I remember the cartoon version of The Sneetches but have never read the book.

As for the Mike Myers version of The Cat in the Hat, I usually don't post negative comments about movies but...I wasn't impressed by any of its commercials or trailers and have zippo interest in seeing it. I haven't watched the live action version of The Grinch either although someone did give me a video of it for Christmas last year.