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Original poster

Cat in the Hat - Suitable for young kids?

29 replies

nerdgirl · 08/04/2004 14:10

I was going to take my two sons to see this yesterday ( they are 4 and 6 years old ) but decided against when I realised it was 12PG.

Has anyone seen it?
Why does it have such a high age limit?

My little guys really want to go and see it.

OP posts:

Kayleigh · 08/04/2004 14:18

oh no, my nearly 6 year old is desperate to see it (actually so am i !). I didn't realise it was a 12PG. Why do they do that ?

secur · 08/04/2004 14:22

Message withdrawn

Kayleigh · 08/04/2004 14:23

oh dear, have just googled and found some film reviews. They are not good - one states "It's depressing stuff with only a handful of laughs for younger viewers and even less entertainment for parents, who will undoubtedly be feline in dire need of a catnap."

Can't find a reason for the PG certificate though.

secur · 08/04/2004 14:27

Message withdrawn

Kayleigh · 08/04/2004 14:29

thanks secur. I love the books and have a feeling this is going to ruin them for me. May have to send ds1 with dh instead

Crunchie · 08/04/2004 14:37

My girls (5 and 3) are dying to go. I know it has had poor reviews, but they love the cinema, so I think we'll go anyway

secur · 08/04/2004 14:39

Message withdrawn

Original poster

nerdgirl · 08/04/2004 14:44

Oh God Secur, was it really that bad? Don't like Mike Meyers either and completely LOVE the book.

Relieved, if a little annoyed, that the 12PG was over the top.

Am now in a dilemma because it sounds so terrible!

But thanks for the quick resonses girls. Don't you just love Mumsnet? You send a question out into the ether, come back a half hour later and voila!

OP posts:

secur · 08/04/2004 14:49

Message withdrawn

Crunchie · 08/04/2004 15:01

From what I have seen it is so far removed from the book that it wouldn't ruin it. There is far more in the film, because the kids have characters (when in the book they don't do very much), and the mum is in more.

Here is a review from Channel 4 cat which kind of explains why it is a PG not a U. I found a few reasonable reviews as well, like this one here

I think we will go simply becasue my kids really love him

Kayleigh · 08/04/2004 15:15

Dilemma. Me or dh ? Might have to toss a coin.

tamum · 08/04/2004 15:30

I took ds (9) and dd (nearly 6) to see it yesterday. I had read lots of bad reviews, but they were desperate to see it (I hadn't even noticed the classification- bad, bad, mother). I was pleasantly surprised actually- the children just loved it, and there was a bit more to it than I had expected. They do sometimes start things like "Son of a ...." but then stop, and the Cat is holding a dirty hoe and says "You're a dirty ho'" to it, but this went straight over the kids' heads (I do hope). It's quite moral in a way, the children both have to face up to their different types of bad behaviour.

Not great, but not that bad, I would say

Crunchie · 08/04/2004 15:58

Tamum, that 'you're a dirty hoe' joke does go over kids heads as they see the litteral meaning. I know my kids will think it is sooooo funny talking to a hoe IYKWIM Kids do not get double entendre till they are much older.

stace · 08/04/2004 17:25

didnt see the certificate or almost certain the web site i checked said pg. anyway im normally really hot on catagories as my step kids are allowed to watch alsorts of inappropriate stuff. Hope they dont find out.

Anyway took ds 4 dss12 and dsd 14 on Sunday the only one of all of that enjoyed it was the 4 year old.

WideWebWitch · 08/04/2004 18:52

I saw it a couple of weeks ago and neither ds (6.5yo) nor I (I know it wasn't aimed at me but I expected to enjoy it tbh!) liked it that much. Someone said, and I think they're right, that if you're making a feature length film out of a fairly short book as is the case with TCITH then you end up with quite a bit of padding. They didn't even include material from The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and I can only assume it's because they intend making that as a film too. I love the book so it's a shame I disliked the film. It started well and is made by Dreamworks (who did Shrek) so I had high hopes but it went downhill pretty rapidly. The sets and costumes are great, very Alice in Wonderland and cartoon-like but Mike Myers gets on my nerves too so that spoiled it a bit for me. There were some pathetic double entendres and innuendo, i.e. the cat's hat gets longer in response to something attractive at one point but I'd have thought it would go over most children's heads. So I wouldn't worry about the cert much, though some bits might be slightly scary. I'd worry far more about it being a waste of money, although not a waste of much time since it's only 80 minutes. Actually, I'd expect younger children to maybe like it more than my ds. So Stace, that doesn't surprise me. Kayleigh, send dh, save yourself for Shrek 2! We'll be fighting over who gets to go to that since we'll both want to go! Saw a trailer for it at TCITH and I said to ds "oh they've shown us far too much of it, I don't want to know the whole film" and he replied "don't worry mum, you'll have forgotten it by the time the film comes out"

tamum · 08/04/2004 19:39

Oh, that trailer for Shrek 2 looked superb, didn't it? Not out 'til July though, boo.

Nutcracker · 08/04/2004 19:51

Anyone taken their kids to see Scooby Doo 2 yet ????
I'm supposed to be taking dd1 and dd2 next week.

timeforbed · 08/04/2004 20:00

i bought TCITH story book for my 3 year old before taking him to see it at the cinema. I was a little aprehensive but he thoroughly enjoed it.

Kayleigh · 08/04/2004 20:13

www, there'll be no more arguing when shrek 2 comes out in July as by then ds2 will be 3 and we can all go together en famille

I figure 3 is a good age to start taking him. Ds1 was about 3.5 but ds2 already watches loads of older type stuff because he has an older brother.

Linnet · 10/04/2004 21:50

Cat in the hat at my local cinema is a PG certificate. DD has been going on about it for weeks she loves the book so we're going to see it one day next week.

Shrek 2 will be easy for us as Dh doesn't want to see it as he didn't like the first one so he can stay home with baby (that will arrive in May) and dd and I can have a nice afternoon at the movies alone

jasper · 13/04/2004 21:42

dh took 3 kids today.
12yo boy and 9yo girl thought it was dreadful. They have fond and fixed ideas about the cat in the hat from the books and the film did not reflect the image they had in their heads.

5yo boy quite liked it, but may have just been the popcorn.

41 yo dh thought it was 100% atrocious and was so stressed out at having to sit through it that he has been on his bum on the sofa all night while I made dinner and generally cleared up

Slinky · 13/04/2004 21:45

I was planning to take my 3 to see CITH tomorrow afternoon, but after watching the local weather forecast for tomorrow, we've (well, I've ) decided to pack up the football/cricket set and picnic and spend a leisurely day in the Park

clary · 14/04/2004 11:53

It's a PG as far as I know not a PG12 so basically it's fine as logn as parents are aware it may be a bit risque...I was nervous of the PG not U cert too but agree with others, the odd innuendo goes over smallies' heads. We took the whole family (DS1 nearly 5, DD nearly 3 and DS2 1 that day!) for a birthday treat, a bit silly I know as it was the baby's birthday, anyway, the older two really liked it, esp DD who is quite unfazed by anything (fave bit in Nemo is the sharks); baby liked walking about in the big corridor outside (good thing DH was there too). I thought it OK, not too long, good sets and effects esp "the ride through the purple stuff" as DS1 put it. Mike M a bit irritating it's true. Not in the Nemo class but much better than Piglet's Big movie. I think if your children were nervous it would not be the best choice.

juniper68 · 18/04/2004 15:24

I took my ds6 as I love Dr seuss books and must've seen the Grinch a million times. The kids would groan 'not the grinch again mummy!!!'

I quite liked it but was a bit disappointed. I thought Mike myers was wrong for it and even though he was the grinch could've seen Jim Carrey as it. I gasped at a few of the jokes but thankfully they went over DSs head. I'd give it a 6/10 if I were rating it.

Nutcracker · 18/04/2004 15:30

I took the kids to see Scooby Doo 2 last week and it was pretty good. Dd1 had several fits of giggles.
I nearly fainted at the price of the Fruit shoots though. Can't you tell i don't get out much

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