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Movies / On DVD / Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

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Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (2003)

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Reviews Counted:36

Fresh:5

Rotten:31

Average Rating:3.4/10

Consensus: Filled with double entendres and potty humor, this Cat falls flat.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild crude humor and some double-entendres

Runtime: 72 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:Nov 21, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $100,446,895

Synopsis: This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful... This adaptation of the classic children's book stars Mike Meyers (AUSTIN POWERS) as the wily talking cat with a tall striped hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Set in a colorful make-believe world, the film tells the classic tale of a sister and brother, Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin), who pass a rainy afternoon with their crotchety baby sitter Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill), during which they receive a visit from the mysterious Cat in the Hat, who leads them on a series of colorful, illogical, silly misadventures. Meanwhile their mother (Kelly Preston), her paranoid boss (Sean Hayes), and her phony boyfriend (Alec Baldwin), present obstacles for the children as they become part of the Cat's chaotic world. With candy colored sets that pop off the screen and zany special effects that give the story a decidedly 21st century spin, this movie presents a fast-paced and very nontraditional rendering of Dr. Seuss. The rhyming lines that usually characterize Dr. Seuss stories are referenced here, but modern jokes that riff on television advertisements and pop psychology are given more importance. Dakota Fanning is utterly adorable as little Sally, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 are delightful in their chittering and acrobatics. A bright and happy film packed with dazzling stunts, DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT is an entertaining treat. [More]

Starring: Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning

Starring: Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Amy Hill, Sean Hayes, Brittany Oaks, Taylor Rice

Director: Bo Welch

Director: Bo Welch
Screenwriter: David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg
Producer: Brian Grazer
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Release:

Mar 16, 2004

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Reviews for Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

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First published in 1957, The Cat In The Hat is one of the most-loved and best-selling children's books ever. It's also a mere 1,600 words -- and even at 82 minutes, the movie version seems like a big stretch.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
11/24/03
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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The best argument yet made for extending artists' rights beyond the grave.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
11/22/03
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
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About as creatively inspired as a giant hairball.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/21/03
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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So good it breaks your heart for not being better.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/21/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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The younger the viewers, the better reactions are bound to be, while grownups will sit still in varying states of bemusement and discomfiture.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/21/03
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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The Cat in the Hat is long on visual dazzle but short on warmth, and the humor is excessively raunchy for a family film.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
11/21/03
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
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The Cat In The Hat goes splat.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
11/21/03
Susan Walker
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
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It is hard to say who is less recognizable in The Cat in the Hat, Mike Myers or the actual Cat in the Hat.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
11/21/03
C.W. Nevius
C.W. Nevius
San Francisco Chronicle
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Flashy but flat.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/21/03
Bob Campbell
Bob Campbell
Newark Star-Ledger
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Fun has never looked so tedious.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
11/21/03
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
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Small kids should love it, and parents may find themselves pleasantly amused.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
11/21/03
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
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This is not your father or mother's Cat in the Hat, certainly, and it has the decency -- or disregard -- not to be.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
11/21/03
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
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I do not like this cat in his hat.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
11/21/03
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
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It's perfect for parents looking for harmless entertainment to keep the young ones engaged during the holidays, but less than perfect for anyone else.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
11/21/03
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
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Represents everything corrupt, bloated, and wrong with mainstream Hollywood movies.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/21/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
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The Cat in the Hat proves yet again that the wonderful children's books of Dr. Seuss do not translate to live action.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/21/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
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A semi-intriguing abomination, the movie The Cat in the Hat takes a piece of classic childhood Americana and turns it into something garish, dumb, ugly and senseless.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
11/21/03
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
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Even at an embarrassingly short 82 minutes, Cat is stuffed with inane filler.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/21/03
Megan Lehmann
Megan Lehmann
New York Post
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The movie squanders most of Dr. Seuss' idiosyncratic charm in favor of blaring overstatement.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
11/21/03
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat is a triumph above all of production design. That's partly because the production design is so good, partly because the movie is so disappointing.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
11/21/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Latest News for Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

August 01, 2007: Trailer Bulletin: Horton Hears a Who
The last few times somebody tried to turn Dr. Seuss into a movie, the results were ... How the Grinch Stole Christmas and (dear lord) The Cat in the Hat. And then somebody got... More...

June 02, 2006: Mike Myers to Adminster Some "Self-Help"
Funnyman Mike Myers looks poised to make a comeback after his "Cat in the Hat"-inspired vacation, and one of his new projects will be a goofy comedy about a nutty... More...

March 11, 2005: Fox & Blue Sky to do "Horton" via CGI
The Hollywood Reporter brings us news that Fox and Blue Sky Studios have won the rights to bring Dr. Seuss' classic "Horton Hears a Who" to the big screen. Blue Sky's... More...

October 28, 2003: News, reviews, links and pictures of The Cat. Opens in new window
More...

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