Movie Review

In what I think was a very impressive act of bravery, Ray and I took all four kids to see Horton Hears a Who this afternoon. We even shared popcorn and lemonade amongst the six of us. And the review?

The movie was very cute. It was a likable interpretation of Dr. Seuss, as opposed to the bizarre and somewhat frightening versions of The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat. Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell both delivered, predictably, strong comedic interpretations of Horton and the Mayor of Whoville. As usual, jokes for grownups peppered the script. It was quite a stretch, as far as plot, but I guess it's not easy turning a 20 page picture book into an 83-minute feature film.

My children loved it, especially Mitzi and Cooper, who were more able to follow the plot and slapstick than were the little girls. Ellie kept to her seat very well overall, and seemed to understand most of the action and dialogue. Joanna wandered between Ray and I, on either end of our group, and eventually fell asleep on Ray's lap. From a not-quite-two-year-old, that is perfect behavior.

I don't want to reveal how long it's been since Ray and I have been to the movies (my last film was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), but we were appalled at how much the matinee cost for us. Ouch.

So, thumbs up from our house. Our first movie outing as a family. Victory!