Jim Carrey's Divisive Take on a Holiday Classic Is Battling 'Reacher's Alan Ritchson on the Streaming Charts

Jim Carrey's Divisive Take on a Holiday Classic Is Battling 'Reacher's Alan Ritchson on the Streaming Charts Jim Carrey smiling on the red carpet for Sonic the Hedgehog 3Image via Abaca Press/INSTARimages By  Ryan O'Rourke Published 54 minutes ago Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys. Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The holidays are just around the corner, which means that Dr. Seuss's mean, green, Christmas-stealing machine is about to return to screens as well. However, Prime Video subscribers are getting in the seasonal spirit a bit early by taking in Jim Carrey's memorable, if divisive, version of the character. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the 2000 live-action classic starring the comedy icon and directed by Ron Howard, has soared to second place on the streamer's overall charts this week, beating out Fallout and Wicked in the process. The only film stopping the Grinch from stealing the streaming crown for himself is Playdate, the new action comedy pairing Prime Video's Reacher star Alan Ritchson with Kevin James.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas tells the familiar Dr. Seuss tale with a few changes to make for a feature-length holiday adventure. In fact, it marked the first time a Seuss story had been adapted as a feature, though it certainly wouldn't be the last. The film revolves around the reclusive green Grinch, who, along with his dog Max, stews in disgust at Whoville and their holiday cheer from his mountaintop home. Before he plans to sabotage their Christmas celebrations, however, he runs into young Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), who tries to make things right between him and the town. The film adds a ton of scenes and backstory never found in the original book or the classic animated special, revealing the ugly history between Whoville and the Grinch and spotlighting other Whos for extra Christmas-themed laughs.

The main draw of Howard's Grinch compared to the original special is Carrey's performance as the mean one himself. The star was hailed for his uncanny performance, matching the Grinch's exaggerated, wicked facial expressions about as well as anyone could in live-action. It was far from easy, though, as Carrey and others aboard the film recounted how the extensive costume consisting of Yak's hair, makeup, and massive colored contact lenses was torturous to the point that the actor turned to a man who, in his words, "trained to teach C.I.A. operatives how to endure torture." His commitment to the part ultimately helped make the film a Christmas classic in some viewers' eyes, despite a lackluster 49% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It also helped to have a strong cast around Carrey, featuring Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, and Molly Shannon.

Would Jim Carrey Ever Return to 'The Grinch'?

Carrey has been relatively inactive on the big screen in recent years compared to his heyday. Of late, he's been committed to the blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and little else, most recently pulling double duty as Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 last year. Any chances of returning to The Grinch in some way for a follow-up that builds on the Dr. Seuss classic would seem especially unlikely given his past experience, though he addressed the possibility last year, revealing that he'd be open to it on one condition — ditch the costume. When asked about which of his iconic characters he could play once more, he responded, "Oh, gosh, you know, if we could figure out the Grinch," before looking back on the "excruciating" hours in the makeup chair. But, he added that "with motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world."

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is now streaming on Prime Video. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the biggest streaming hits throughout the year.

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How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Like PG Family Animation Comedy Holiday Release Date November 17, 2000 Runtime 104 Minutes Director Ron Howard Writers Dr. Seuss, Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman Franchise(s) The Grinch

Cast

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• Jim Carrey
• Taylor Momsen
• Jeffrey Tambor
• Christine Baranski

Genres Family, Animation, Comedy, Holiday Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Jim Carrey
• Amazon Prime Video

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