BY PHILLIP NAKOV | If you have never read any of the books by Dr. Seuss, you will undoubtedly need to read the following in order to get a better understanding what exactly this Cat in the Hat movie is all about. However, if you haven't read any of Dr. Seuss' books by now I advise you to immediately go to www.amazon.com, your local bookstore or a local library and check the selection out. Not that you need to read the book before seeing the film but seriously it gives you a perspective with which to watch the film.

Colorful and bright, funny and sometimes crass, this film ain't your normal kid's book retelling of the beloved "Cat in the Hat" tale. This is certainly a movie of a different color and oh what wonderful colors they be!

Left alone to their own devices, little Sally and Conrad are left at home one day by their mother who is summoned back to work by her boss. Under the supervision of a narcoleptic baby sitter, our two little 'angels' are visited by a six-foot tall, stove pipe hat wearing, walking, talking and scheming cat! (Hence the name Cat in the Hat.) The fun and mayhem that ensues is taken mostly from the book with certain creative license taken in the areas of cultural updates and references to pop culture that make the film glow like one giant commercial bonanza.

EXPECTATIONS

What I'd Seen

Everywhere one turns in Los Angeles one sees giant billboards announcing the arrival of Cat in the Hat in theaters November 21. Products, commercials, on-line ad buys, newspaper articles, press, publicity, we are literally blanketed in the news that Mike Meyers is in The Cat in the Hat! I watched the hilarious trailer online (right here at CountingDown.com). Visited the whimsical and colorful official site and even checked out the cool contest where you can win cool Cat in the Hat items. OK I can't enter 'cause I work here, but those t-shirts are cool! In short I'd seen plenty and my attitude was ok, bring it on! Let the fun begin!

What I'd Heard

"Mike Meyers in Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat in theaters November 21, 2003" -- about three million, two-hundred fourteen thousand times... this month alone.

What I Wanted

I wanted to be transported back to that time in my childhood where innocence and wonder reigned supreme. I wanted to be visually tantalized and wowed. I wanted to see a faithful retelling of one of the most enduring tales of children's literature. I wanted to forget my troubles and be happy for just a few hours.

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On
The opening credit sequence is awesome! The Universal, DreamWorks, and Imagine Entertainment logos were all done in Seussian colors and lettering. Wonderful, amazing and truly fun! It puts one in the mood for a Dr. Seuss adventure and reminds you one last time that you are about to check out of reality and enter a parallel world of wonder and surprise.

What Turned Me Off
Some of the humor was rather bold, crass and teetering on adult humor. Hopefully some of the lines and visuals will sail past the younger audiences, but looking back on the volumes of Dr. Seuss books I have read, I don't remember butt cracks, burp jokes nor sexual undertones as playing a part of that story telling genre. I am not sure how important it is to have that much adult humor in a film that is about kids and made for kids... well, I guess and their parents too. It seems that if they could have been SO true to the books of the Harry Potter series, certainly they could have managed to stay a little more in the lines and not stray so far into the realm of suggestive double entendres.

Lines Worth Repeating
The Cat says "Oh yeah!"
Mr. Humberfloob exclaims, "F-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I- I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I- I-I-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-E-D!"

Never Saw That Before
I never saw a six-foot tall talking and walking cat before! But besides that, the effects were wicked cool and the colors amazing! The eye is tantalized and treated to an amazing array of colorful shapes, interesting shapes and imaginative architecture. There are structures that defy the laws of gravity and trees that only Dr. Seuss could create. Oh yeah!Fidget Factor
Limited. There were brief moments where you wonder where the story is going, but then it kicks in that there really isn't so much a story here as it is a ride... so sit back, shut up and enjoy the ride.

AFTERMATH

I left thinking...
I came and I sat
Through a movie about a cat
Who wears a hat
What's wrong with that?
But despite the Cat
And his tall colorful hat
All in all I sat
Through a film that falls flat.
Nonetheless I must say
Mike Meyers truly saves the day
Keeping the Cat, his hat
Moving and action packed!

I left saying... This movie is going to make a bazillion, gazillion dollars and will make Mike Meyers an even bigger star. Also, I could not help but wish that Sean Hayes' role, as Mr. Humberfloob, could have been made bigger. He was a scene-stealer whenever he was on screen and it would have been a wonderful secondary plot line if they gave us a little back story on why he is such a clean freak. Expiry Date... This will have a nice run at the theaters throughout the holidays as parents take their kids to see the Cat. Kids will run to see a more adult version of a book they grew up reading and to see the wild and zany antics of Mike Meyers.

When it comes out on DVD... It will be a top seller and certainly include many extras and cool interactive features which will make it the MUST HAVE DVD of the moment. Knowing how well DreamWorks and Universal are about their DVD productions, this one will certainly be an eye-catching wonder and a must have for the DVD collection.