Film: So-so Seuss

While making children laugh is one of the easiest things in the world, accomplishing the same result in weathered adults is more difficult. The Cat in the Hat elicits giggles from both sides, but inconsistently.

The Dr. Seuss adaptation stars Mike Meyers as a giant feline who visits Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin) while their make-shift babysitter sleeps. As Sally and Conrad's mother (Kelly Preston) slaves away at her real estate job, the Cat takes the two children on a whirlwind adventure, attempting to teach them the meaning of fun. Alec Baldwin stars as Quinn, the next-door neighbor who attempts to blackmail nonconformist Conrad into military school.

Mike Myers, like the rest of the film, is merely average is in his attempt to bring his animated character to life. Falling several levels below the high bar Jim Carrey set with his turn as Dr. Seuss' the Grinch, the less flexible Myers follows nearly every homerun laugh with a strike-out.

When the Cat used Shrek's voice to imitate a generic live television cooking show, it was a real Mike Myers moment and one of the few times everyone laughed. But most of the jokes fall short. When the film tried to create jokes with awkward silences--like when the Cat brought in lawyers to coerce Sally and Conrad into signing a contract--the audience responded with an awkward silence of its own.

Still, Alec Baldwin is terrific in his over-the-top portrayal of a suave bachelor, perpetually in debt, who secretly hides his hairy beer gut with a girdle. Dakota Fanning shines as a the goody-goody, bossy younger sister.

The film's biggest strength is an elaborate set, including giant pink houses, that attempts to show the world from a child's perspective. Neon green hybrid electric cars, Dr. Seuss trees and wacky costumes do justice to the original story. The film is only mediocre, but eye-candy makes up for the comic misfires, creating 90 minutes that will surely entertain anyone who is a child at heart.