The Cat in the Hat (2003) [w/Commentary]

In this live-action film based on the favorite children's tale, the trouble-making Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers) arrives at the home of bored young Sally Walden (Dakota Fanning) and her brother, Conrad (Spencer Breslin), while their mother (Kelly Preston) is out. The family's pet fish (Sean Hayes) objects to the Cat's presence, but that doesn't stop the hat-wearing giant feline from trying to have fun, no matter how much destruction is left in his wake.



Audio Commentary: Director Bo Welch and actor Alec Baldwin sit down to discuss "this here Cat in the Hat," the genesis of the production, casting, the visuals and special effects, the production design and, really, anything anyone could ever want to know about the film. Both men seem completely taken with everything on screen – delusion or proximity? – but Baldwin does take a few swings at the movie (in between industry anecdotes and random tangents). He plays each criticism and veiled insult off as a joke ("One of the great things about this is no continuity at all. But it's fun! We love that!"), but the uncomfortable laughs that follow are telling. It's almost worth listening to the commentary just to catch the nine or ten awkward pauses between the two. Almost. Unless you love all things Cat in the Hat, spend your time elsewhere.