THE CAT IN THE HAT
Starring: Bill Hader, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, Giancarlo Esposito, and America Ferrera
Directors: Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni
ADRIANO
By the end, The Cat in the Hat winds up using the morals of Dr. Seuss’s book to an endearing effect. With that in mind, leading up to that final act was a diatribe of lowest-common-denominator pandering for children, featuring an uncharacteristically phoned-in Bill Hader performance, unflattering animation that makes solid visual gags unfunny, and the single worst use of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” ever. While fundamentally better than the awful 2003 version, this could’ve used that film's low-stakes anarchy which made that one a watchable cult film. As for this, it’s a well-intentioned distraction for babies.
AMARÚ
The Cat in the Hat is deliriously delightful. The varying animated visuals are fantastic, with creative set pieces that are pure imagination. The voice cast is awesome, with a great balance of dry, over-the-top, and slapstick characters that mimic the intelligent use of both adult and kid humor (there’s a truly committed and inspired bit that’s one of the best comedic theater experiences I’ve had in ages). The story is paced wonderfully with highly relatable themes, though some were spelled out to guarantee kids understood them. Yet and still, when movies claim to be fun for the whole family, this is exactly what they mean.
