Review – The Cat in the Hat

Though I admit that the cat was never exactly my favorite Dr. Seuss character, it still saddened me to see such a pathetic, vulgar mess made out of this reasonably charming childhood classic. The picture starts out with an astounding amount of set-up; I didn’t time it, but I imagine the cat himself doesn’t even make an appearance until at least 20 minutes in. And though the non-cat plot is no more compelling than a Bart-centered episode of the Simpsons, the movie nonetheless takes a turn for the worse when the titular character debuts. Mike Myers’ Bert Lahr impression gets really old really fast, and the nasty little double entendres and other random vulgarity that might have worked with an Austin Powers audience here only serve to strangle what little charm the production might otherwise have been able to muster. Though I’m well outside what I suppose was the target audience, I have trouble imagining even the dumbest, crudest child finding much entertainment value in this flop. Wish I’d skipped it