Not quite feeling the Christmas spirit yet? There’s one festive film that will win over even the most dedicated of Scrooges – and it’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Based on the classic children’s book by Dr Seuss, the 2000 film introduces us to Whoville, a town where all the residents love nothing more than going all out with their celebrations for the Christmas holidays. All the residents, that is, except for the Grinch, a misanthropic creature covered in green fur who lives in self-imposed exile in a cave on a nearby mountain.
When the Grinch sneaks into town to play a prank at the post office, trying to switch the inhabitants’ mail around, he ends up inadvertently doing a good deed, saving the life of youngster Cindy Lou Who.
Intrigued by her grumpy green saviour, Cindy Lou starts to do some digging into the Grinch’s history, trying to work out why he has been ostracised from her community and to get to the root of his hatred of all things festive.
Her attempts to involve him in the town’s Christmas celebrations don’t go smoothly, and nearly lead to disaster – but can she open the Grinch’s eyes to the holiday’s real meaning before it’s too late?
For a family-friendly Christmas film with an edge, it’s hard to beat Ron Howard’s film, which stars Jim Carrey in some staggering prosthetics (which reportedly took eight and a half hours to apply on the first day of filming, before the process was eventually fine-tuned so that the star spent two hours in the make-up chair at the start of each day, and one hour at the end).
Taylor Momsen, who went on to star as Jenny ‘Little J’ Humphrey in Gossip Girl, plays Cindy Lou, with Mamma Mia star Christine Baranski as the Grinch’s love interest Martha May Whovier, and Jeffrey Tambor as the arrogant Mayor of Whoville. The legendary Anthony Hopkins also lends his voice as the film’s narrator.
Here’s how you can catch the Grinch on screen this winter.
Where can I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas?
If you’re keen to add How the Grinch Stole Christmas to your festive watch list this December, you’re in luck. The 2000 movie is currently available to stream on Netflix as part of the platform’s extensive Christmas offering, which also includes Brit comedy Nativity alongside original movies like Lindsay Lohan’s Falling for Christmas and the Christmas Prince franchise.
It’s also currently available to watch as part of an Amazon Prime Video subscription, and can be downloaded from the Google Play store and the iTunes store.
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If you’re a dedicated fan of Dr Seuss’s tale, you might also want to check out the 2018 animated version of The Grinch, which you can also watch as part of an Amazon Prime Video subscription. It features Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the lead role, alongside Rashida Jones as Cindy Lou’s mother and Angela Lansbury as the Mayor of Whoville.
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