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You can’t remake a classic, right? Wrong! Although this was not my favorite movie of the year by any means,

This was the best version of The Grinch I have seen

So I’m guessing that we ALL know the classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” storyline. This movie is no different, the only thing it added (or only major addition) was adding the reindeer, Fred, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also enjoyed that the Grinch wasn’t quite as mean and horrid as he typically is written to be. Don’t get me wrong, he was definitely mean, but before he has a change of heart (sorry if that was a spoiler, haha) he shows moments of having a heart!

This movie is exactly what you would expect it to be. I as a millennial teenager, didn’t laugh too hard at this movie. I thought the entire movie was cute, sweet, and I maybe gave a few chuckles here and there, but nothing that made me laugh out loud. Now my friend that I went with was laughing her socks off, along with my mother who was still laughing about scenes in the movie the next day. So maybe it’s that I have a completely different sense of humor, but I did enjoy myself during the movie.

CHARACTERS: I already mentioned some of them already, but I’ll talk about them a little deeper.

The Grinch: I really enjoyed the character, not too mean (other than the grocery store scene, if you know, you know), but still was true to the character. The baby Grinch was absolutely adorable and the older grinch had the same sense of humor that you would expect. But I really enjoyed the minor changes they made to the Grinch’s personality.

Max: The Grinch’s side kick and best friends was as cute as always! I love Max in the animations much better than the live versions, because he is able to have better facial expressions and more of a personality, rather than just a side kick, typical dog. Max was cute, and I enjoyed that he stood his ground to the Grinch and didn’t take anything from him, but was still the sweet and loving best friend that would do anything for the Grinch.

Cindy-Lou Who: I really love how Cindy-Lou was portrayed in this version. Cindy-Lou wasn’t just the quite, petite, cute little girl. In this version, Cindy-Lou was a little more of a tomboy, or at least much less of a girly girl. She was extremely adventurous and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to get what she wanted, which was also precious in itself.

Fred: Fred was the newest addition to The Grinch story. Fred was the very large reindeer whom the Grinch found to hopefully guide his sleigh. Fred becomes close to both the Grinch and Max become very close to. Fred is silly and very sweet and very comedic, even though he can’t speak. I thought he was a perfect addition to this classic story.

The animation was as incredible as always for a Sony Production. I always look for the hair in animation to see how it moves when the characters move and how it moves in the wind. The Grinch is a hairy character and I was just absolutely infatuated with his fur throughout the entirety of the movie. The whole movie was nothing less than perfect speaking in terms of animation.

I very much enjoyed myself at this movie, and you and your whole family will too. This is a great movie for the holiday, considering the lack of them that will be coming out this holiday season, and it’s the perfect addition for the whole family in all of you holiday festivities. This was by no means the best movie of the year, but it is definitely one of the best family movies of the year.

RATING: 68%

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Instant Family

I was a little torn while debating what genre this movie was prior to seeing it. I had no clue what to expect between a comedy or a sob story drama, but it wan’t quite either. I of course would lean it more toward a comedy, as apparently that is what it was intended to be.

Whatever genre this movie was, it’s a hit.

I’m going to start with the cast, because that is more than likely the sole reason I loved this movie so much, along with the perfect story-line, script, and the rest of the movie.

CAST:

Mark Wahlberg as Pete: Mark Wahlberg was already one of my favorite actors of all time, but this movie only made me fall in love with him more. He shows both his loving father side, as he does in every other movie he’s in, but also shows his absolute knee-slapping hilarious side. He makes this movie what it is, I wouldn’t doubt that this role was written specifically for him, he is absolutely incredible, but what’s new?

Rose Byrne as Ellie: Who else would play a mom in a comedy? Her character is the exact same as her role in the Neighbors movies, except a lot more appropriate. She shows her loving, nurturing mom side along with her comedic side along with Wahlberg. The two are the perfect comedy couple in every way and I absolutely loved Rose in this role of the over the top, slightly confused, comedic, and perfect mom.

Isabela Moner as Lizzy:  Lizzy’s character was written to be fairly unlikeable, only because of what all she and her siblings have been through in the system. Moner plays Lizzy with all of the right emotions at the right time. Although Lizzy definitely was not my favorite character, Moner was perfect casting.

Julianna Gamiz as Lita: Gamiz is an absolute STAR! Lita was definitely my favorite character in this movie. The role was definitely written for a cute and funny kid, and Gamiz is exactly that. Her comedic timing is impeccable and she is as cute as can be.

Honorable Mentions: Of course Octavia Spencer as Karen was hilarious as always. Gustavo Quiroz as Juan, the third child, was extremely funny and sweet.

PLOT:  If you hadn’t heard about this movie, it is about a couple that decides that they want to home and maybe adopt a foster child. They decide that they want to adopt a teenager, without knowing that she comes with two siblings. The rest of the movie is about the struggles they face while housing the foster children, getting to know them, debating whether or not they want to adopt, and all of the rest of the struggles they faced throughout the whole process. As I previously said, it is a comedy mixed with a little drama and it is done so well.

This movie was incredibly eye-opening to how hard it is to go through the foster adoption process. Also to how many children are in foster care and how many struggles they have to face daily. I’ve known some parents that have tried to adopt their foster children and I never realized how hard it must be! This is an incredible movie to go see with the family, especially during the holidays to really focus on how blessed and thankful we all are!

This movie is rated PG-13, but for language. So if your 10-12 year old is mature enough to handle the language, go see it with them. I loved this movie, I loved that it made me laugh, I loved that it made me cry, I love Mark Wahlberg, and I love what this movie stands for. This is definitely a must-see in theaters for the year!

RATING: 90%