SummaryMike Myers stars in the title role of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, a film adaptation of the beloved literary classic. (Universal Pictures)
Directed By:Bo Welch
Written By:Dr. Seuss, Alec Berg, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer
The Cat in the Hat
Metascore
Overwhelming Dislike
19
User score
Mixed or Average
4.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Overwhelming Dislike
19
3% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
24% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
73% Negative
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
70
So good it breaks your heart for not being better. It is kept from brilliance by a soggy climax and a clumsy central narrative device.
40
A few laughs come from Alec Baldwin as Mom’s posturing, deceitful boyfriend, but attempts at inserting risqué modern humour sit uneasily with the playfully innocent surrealism of Seuss’ famous characters.
User score
Mixed or Average
4.4
34% Positive
71 Ratings
71 Ratings
12% Mixed
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
54% Negative
111 Ratings
111 Ratings
Sep 20, 2025
10
The review I am posting will shock you - it is one of my favourite movies! My favourite part of it is the humour, like the almost swearing moments - innuendo & adult tends to be my favourite type of humour. They were also on point with the colours used (like chalk coloured Ford Focus cars & the colour of the cat & his items) which showed they were putting the whimsical charm of what was originally saw of it. It teaches bravery when siblings, Conrad & Sally, held hands saying that it was their fault that the house was made a mother of all messes with Cat ready to face consequences in case their mother sees it, causing her to lose her job. What we say about it is that the movie is so bad, it is good! Since it developed a cult & memes following (proud to be a part of it). It is sad that Audrey Giesel did not want more live action adaptations (although the animated movies were still great).
30
Grazer's writing team has filled up the film's 82 minutes with winking product placements, SNL-type goofs, PG gags premised on not quite cursing, a Smashmouth cover of the Beatles' "Getting Better," and a lame subplot about a scuzzy lothario (Stephen Baldwin).
25
It pains me to tell you, But really, it's true: The Cat in the Hat Is a piece of dog doo.
20
Frenetic and cheerless action aside, the film's real problem is the Cat, who looks most unmagically like a second-string college sports mascot and conducts himself like a risque baggy-pants comedian.
10
The ongoing cinematic desecration of Dr. Seuss' legacy continues with The Cat In The Hat, a clattering abomination that makes it depressingly likely that an entire generation of reading-averse children will know The Cat In The Hat as that obnoxious character Mike Myers played in that horrible movie.
0
Comes scarily close to being the most unendurable Hollywood creation of the last dozen years.
Mar 12, 2024
10
I watched this when i was 14, I watched it again & again since I owned a DVD. I watched this again in 2024 and it's just funny as hell. We need movies like this these days. I'm surprised to learn this movie flopped. Hope to see these type of movies in the future.
Mar 24, 2020
6
I'm not here to sing the praises of The Cat In The Hat. I'm not even going to defend it, but call me crazy, I laughed during this movie. I really laughed, at more than a few points in the film.
May 28, 2017
3
The movie has a terrible story and bad acting. The movie has some good jokes, but most are weird. The last bad part is the characters look bad, really bad. It was not good at all.
Apr 3, 2016
3
Mike Myers gives a hysterical, over the top performance of The Cat, however the rest of the movie is just a cluster of bad characters that are dull, boring, and uninteresting.
Production Company:
- Universal Pictures
- DreamWorks Pictures
- Imagine Entertainment
Release Date:Nov 21, 2003
Duration:1 h 22 m
Rating:PG
Tagline:Cats with hats only!
Awards
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
• 4 Wins & 12 Nominations
Razzie Awards
• 1 Win & 10 Nominations
Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards
• 3 Nominations
