Movieguide®’s Favorite Christmas Movies: THE GRINCH (2018)
By Movieguide® Staff
Editor’s note: This is just a portion of our review for THE GRINCH (2018), one of our favorite Christmas movies. For the full review, click here.
THE GRINCH (2018) is a great movie about the true meaning of Christmas triumphing over alienation and materialism. It features powerfully loving parents and children, a joyous community of inspired Whos, and a terrific character arc for the Grinch, plus great Christmas carols and hymns focusing on Jesus Christ and His divinity, lordship and love.
THE GRINCH takes the Dr. Seuss story and adds a touch of DESPICABLE ME and a pinch of THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL. The movie opens with an exciting scene of the birds rushing toward Whoville, where the town is full of joy in anticipation of their favorite holiday, Christmas. The Grinch is watching from his mountain fortress. He makes it clear from the beginning that he hates Christmas, but he’s not the same Grinch as previous versions because he does have a heart, although it is three sizes too small, and loves his dog, Max, and other creatures.
When the Grinch finds out all his food is gone due to his nervous eating habit, he’s forced to go to Whoville to buy food. There, he’s confronted with joyous Whos singing Christmas carols. Also, he’s confronted by Cindy Lou Who, who wants to meet Santa Claus to tell him her wish, which is to help her overworked but brave and valiant mother. Cindy Lou is an incredible, compelling character, and her relationship with her mother is exemplary.
Cindy Lou tries to tell the Grinch what Christmas really means, but the Grinch is determined to destroy Christmas.
THE GRINCH is a precious, superbly made movie. In too many movies, a parent is the villain, or a child is a villain, or the villain is unredeemable, but not THE GRINCH. In fact, the mother and the daughter have a very touching scene saying how blessed they are to have one another. How refreshing to see this sentiment in a Hollywood movie, where it promotes motherhood and family. In fact, the entire message of the movie is that the greatest joy in life is to be kind and love one another.
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