Is the latest incarnation of Dr. Seuss’ THE CAT IN THE HAT a good movie? Yes, at least for kids. Is it Seussian? Not so much. Is Bill Hader the comic genius that can almost save it? Unequivocally, yes, There is the title character, brought to vivid life by Hader’s ebullient voice, and there is, in the first five minutes or so of the film, a nod to the classic story. Yet, having dispensed with that, and perhaps inspiring the little ones, at whom this film is squarely aimed, to discover that book and all the others rhymed with chaotic whimsey by Theodore Geisel, it takes a more traditional turn. Leaving behind the gleeful anarchy visited upon unsuspecting siblings on a rainy day, it becomes a far more traditional tale of kids learning the value of family and a less traditional gloss on the virtue of messiness.
In what can only be described as an homage to MONSTERS INC, the story reveals that the Cat is not a solo agent of fun. He is, instead, an overly boisterous employee of the Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC, a concern that busies itself with boosting joy in its young, and unsuspecting, clients. Cat is very good at his job, but, alas, the ability to leave the kids in a state of delirious delight (as measured on the Emot-O-Meter) is offset by the monumentally high scores he racks up on tidiness (as measured on the Mess-O-Meter). With his job on the line thanks to his literally shallow and joyless boss, Mr. Hoogeboom (Giancarlo Esposito), Cat is assigned the toughest case in the files and, in a blatant attempt to sever him from the institute, forbidden to use any supplies except a potato on a string. Naturally, Cat finds a way to make it engaging.
The new assignment is also a pair of siblings, middle-schooler band nerd Gabby (Xochitl Gomez) and her younger brother, ocean enthusiast, Sebastian (Tiago Martinez), who are moving into a new neighborhood when their single mother (America Ferrara) takes a new job in a nursing home. Cat makes a dramatic entrance, trashes the house, and puts the new tenants in danger of being evicted from their apartment before they’ve even had a chance to unpack.
What ensues is ambitious and energetic storytelling on a grand scale as a couch is turned into a vehicle with true Seussian magic, cardboard boxes become uncharted territory brought to life with ingenuity, and the vagaries of an uninflected language (English) proves that following a direct order is more complicated than it should be. Seussian characters do appear, a silent but slap-happy Thing 1 sporting a coiffure like an emphatic artichoke and an attitude worthy of a drill sergeant, and a talking goldfish, voiced with world-weary ennui by Matt Berry, but the large cast of characters goes in a more original direction. Certainly, the sassy psychic narwhal voice by Tituss Burgess is memorable for more than his light-up tusk but doesn’t have the studied, slightly dangerous goofiness of a Seuss creation, while Paula Pell as the persnickety landlady is a standard issue villain and all-around killjoy. More successful is the crew at the Institute, which is rendered in a different style of animation to differentiate it from the real world. These characters include a Pig in A Wig, an Ox in A Box, and a Giraffe with a Carafe. The fiddly bits and mechanical hands of the workplace evoke Suess, as does Cat’s best friend, Sally (Quinta Brunson), a long-necked dinosaur with a penchant for scarves. Alas, Bowen Yang as the Institute’s nepo-baby intern is also standard issue, but it’s Bowen Yang and his way with a sneer-inflected delivery is always a joy to hear.
The further along THE CAT IN THE HAT goes, the further it diverges from the Seussian idiom. There are moments of refined wit, but for the most part, this is a tale that could have been helmed by a complete unknown of a character rather than the Cat and his hat of many wonders. Purists may come away disappointed, but the kids will have a cracking good time with familiar tropes that are comforting rather than trite as handled here, and a moral that the adults can see coming from the 20-minute mark.
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