The Cat in the Hat (2003)

My Review

“The Cat in the Hat” is a live-action comedy film about the famous Cat who invades the lives of two siblings and wreaks havoc on their household, where their mother is scheduled to have a work-related meeting later in the day. Director Bo Welch put together what is billed as a family film that is loaded with double entendres and bathroom humor. This is due to Welch and screenwriters Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schafer putting their own interpretation of the very squeaky clean 1957 children’s book by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel). It did get a PG rating, and does have some entertainment value even considering this problem.

The cast includes Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat, Alec Baldwin as a neighbor, Kelly Preston as the mom, Dakota Fanning and Spencer Breslin as the two children, Amy Hill as the baby sitter, Sean Hayes as mom’s boss, Clint Howard as the caterer, and Paris Hilton as a club-goer. “The Cat in the Hat” was a box office flop for producer Brian Grazer, DreamWorks Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, and Universal Pictures. It was filmed in Simi Valley, Pomona, and Universal Studios, California. A new “The Cat in the Hat” animated film will be released in November, 2026, from Warner Bros. Studios, starring Bill Hader in the lead.

“The Cat in the Hat” received nine Golden Raspberry Awards, winning one for Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie (All Concept, No Content). Non-winners include Worst Actor of the Decade (Myers), Worst Supporting Actor (Baldwin), Worst Supporting Actress (Preston), Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Screen Couple (Myers and either Thing One or Thing Two), and Worst “Comedy” of Our First 25 Years. It was also nominated for ten Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, winning four.