The Cat in the Hat (2003)

 

Genre: Family/ Comedy 

Time: 1h 22mins

Director: Bo Welch

Quick Summary: Two bored children have their lives turned upside down when a talking cat comes to visit them.

Hate this and I'll hate you. 

This is the most hectic fever dream of a film I have ever watched and I am loving it. It is absolute chaos but It is so fun. It's comedic gold, a masterpiece to me. I can't help but laugh at every single second of this.

Honestly, this film flies by because of the pacing, it goes full speed ahead without pausing for a moment. Something is always happening, and if you're still processing what you've just watched, the film has already moved on to some other wacky shenanigans. It's always entertaining too, there is never a dull moment. 

The aesthetic of this is WILD. Everything is plastered in this odd-looking purple or kind of sickly green. Poka dots are splattered around and strongly resemble a mix of the 60's and 70's. To go with how odd this film is, the costumes are even more odd with bold colours and loud patterns. It works incredibly well. I look at this film and go "Yeah, I believe this belongs within this universe." which is a hard thing to do sometimes. I don't think anything clashes either, everything just works together wonderfully in this weird little universe.

Don't even get me started on the humour. It's hilarious! A perfect mix of childish, innocent shenanigans and cleverly disguised adult jokes that will definitely go over children's heads. Neither feels out of place. It jumps from slapstick to silly puns, one-liners, running gags such as "Cat" never getting Conrad's name correct, to the most bizarre random reactions and lines of dialogue. 

A lot of my enjoyment comes down to Mike Myers. Oh, he is absolutely hilarious. Constantly exaggerating his body language and animated expressions with a bit of a flamboyant flair, pulling the most silly shenanigans you could think of, dramatic explosions of witty dialogue, and his laugh that will get you every single time. I honestly could not picture anyone else doing this role so perfectly. Honestly, if someone said to me that they just let this man run around without a script, I'd believe it. 

Plot? Out the window. Who cares when this is so damn funny. Though in all seriousness, this is actually a really easy story to follow for children and entertaining too. Somehow, and I can't believe I'm saying this, it actually has a few life lessons in it. Take responsibility for the damage you have done, respect the balance between chaos and order, and have fun responsibly. For all the hectic things that happen in this film, it wraps up quite nicely with a sweet ending. 

This is a fun experience of a film that anyone could love. Absolutely hilarious but heartwarming at times. I feel sorry for the people who know me in real life as I'll be quoting this film forever. Perfect film. Dare I say? A Masterpiece? 

It is.

10/10

" I'll get you, and it'll look like a bloody accident."

"I don't know. A little voice inside of me is saying, "This is a bad idea." But I can barely hear that little voice, because an even louder little voice is screaming, "Let the twelve-year-old drive!" Now punch it."

"You pay this woman to sit on babies? That's disgusting. I'd do it for nothing."

" You're not just wrong, you're stupid."

"Sally: She was gonna wear that tonight and you ruined it.

The Cat: Honey, it was ruined when she bought it."

"Without my hat, I'm just your garden variety six-foot tall talking cat."

"If this were my house, I'd be furious."