neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat
	Bo Welch Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Sean Hayes 2003		Aside from the surface resemblance and brand name, the frantic, candy-hued, slapsticky movie "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" is not very faithful to the family-friendly whimsy of the beloved children's book. It stars an elaborately made-up and costumed Mike Myers as the tale's magical feline, doing a "Green Eggs &..." hammy voice that wavers from Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion to a Catskills resort emcee. With a clashing mix of live action and CGI dazzle, the film tries to tickle youngsters and offer a lesson in socially acceptable behavior, while needlessly adulterating the clever original material with racy and self-aware digressions by Myers. The Cat visits two smug, bored siblings (Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin) at home on a rainy day. Joined by sprites Thing One and Thing Two, the Cat nearly destroys the house in the name of fun before the kids' single mother (Kelly Preston) comes home from work. Alec Baldwin sweats as the cad-next-door who's wooing Mom; Sean Hayes, funny as the voice of the computer-rendered goldfish who mistrusts the Cat, is annoying as Mom's fussy boss. But neither cad nor boss is in the Seuss tome; they're here to pad the script. This elaborate, nervy "Cat" will distract little ones and disappoint their elders.