Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this imaginative version of Dr. Seuss' beloved classic may be too intense and scary for the youngest or most sensitive kids. Ominous music accompanies the Grinch and his cartoon trouble making in multiple scenes. Jim Carrey, behind a rubbery green face, is the master of cackles and distorted facial expressions. A heroic little girl is in danger more than once. Kids who understand the difference between the real and the fantastical will delight in the chaotic, very funny mayhem. So will grown-ups. There are a few moments of crude humor along the way (i.e., the Grinch sticks his butt out and says, "Pucker up and kiss it," and several males ogle a buxom woman).
Sexual
Content
A married couple exchange a comic, exaggerated kiss. Innuendo regarding a woman with cleavage.
Violence
Continuous accelerated, cartoon action. There are fires (one started by a flame-thrower), explosions, falls, many wild rides, crashes, and characters (particularly a little girl) teetering on the brink of disaster. No one is injured or killed. In numerous scenes the Grinch is menacing, contorting his face and body (one shot shows insects crawling between his teeth), cackling, chewing glass, and wreaking havoc on the town of Whoville.
Language
A few curses: "hell," "bitchin'." The Grinch angrily turns his butt to camera and says, "Pucker up and kiss it, Whoville."
Social
Behavior
In addition to its message about rejecting the commercialization of Christmas and celebrating love, family, and gratefulness, the film also shows how even the smallest kindness can change the hardest heart. The Grinch's behavior and hatred of Christmas is revealed to be the result of childhood bullying and cruelty.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Not applicable
