\'Grinch\' a steal

\"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," by Dr. Seuss;
(Or Theodore Geisel, if one must know the ruse)
Was published in the year of the Sputnik launch;
A time when America had not yet discovered raunch. In 1966 Chuck Jones pulled out all the stops;
To rescue America from programming flops.
"Merrie Melodies" had been his stake to fame;
An animated Grinch would bring him equal acclaim. This year Ron Howard gave the Grinch a shot;
A 105-minute movie was all he sought.
So he cast Jim Carrey as the green holiday grump;
And hoped he'd rebound from his "EdTV" slump. The price has been counted, the results are in;
Should Opie rest easy or break out the gin?
Is the Cash-and-Carrey policy a wise transaction
For a refuge from the "Happy Days" faction? The answer is harder to relate to rhyme;
So let's just say I had a good time.
The film's first half-hour is decidedly slow;
The rest is Carrey's finest since "The Truman Show." Cindy Lou-Who (Taylor Momsen) is exquisitely sweet;
(How does Hollywood find these children? On the street?).
Rick Baker's make-up outdoes his prosthetics;
For wolfmen, Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson cosmetics. Anthony Hopkins is Boris Karloff's sub
In Narrating a tale about a holiday grub.
The set design is lavish; the money's all there,
Prompting one to prop up in his seat and stare. I could relate the plot, but who doesn't know
About a miserly grinch in a town full of snow.
Who-ville's its name, with its townspeople afraid;
Of a green outsider's plans for a Yuletide raid. Perhaps in my recommendation there lies an ethical battle;
With a story I had known since I had a rattle;
But "Humbug" I say to those critics on call;
As they rave with a heart that's two sizes too small.