Dr. Seuss's The Cat In The Hat

Screenwriters Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and Dave Mandel have expanded the 220 words of Dr. Seuss's endlessly readable 1957 children's book into a filmic pastiche of quirky jolts and visual gibes that Mike Myers prances over as the irrepressible Cat in the Hat. With only a trace of Austin Powers, and a hint of the lion from "The Wizard of Oz," Myers throws his fast twitch physical virtuosity into high gear between spasms of Groucho Marx-inflected asides. Sally (Dakota Fanning - "I Am Sam") and Conrad (Spencer Breslin - "The Kid") are two kids sworn to keep their mother's house neat on a rainy day while their babysitter naps on the couch. The family's pet goldfish (voice of Sean Hayes) suffers continuous humiliation while the Cat in the striped stovepipe hat leads the kids on a series of stunts designed to teach them the importance of responsibility within the limits of wild abandon and childhood liberation.
Rated PG. 82 mins. (B-) (Three--out of five--Stars)