Netflix is one of the behemoths of streaming after becoming one of the first companies to dive in deep, and it has a wide selection of new release films as well as some great originally crafted programs. However, the thing I love most about the platform is that older, seemingly forgotten films can get a second wind when discovered again by subscribers. One particular Mike Myers flick that was universally hated by critics and received a devastating 9% on Rotten Tomatoes actually landed on Netflix’s Children and Family Top Ten List earlier this week, so apparently the audience was down for a rewatch with their kids.
While most Dr. Seuss film adaptations do pretty well and become beloved childhood memories, Mike Myers’ Cat in the Hat doesn’t fit that bill, well, at all. Despite having the Dr. Seuss legacy behind it and a cast full of recognizable stars like the unforgettable Mike Myers, Dakota Fanning, and Alec Baldwin, Cat in the Hat just didn’t do it for critics - although the audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes is a bit more forgiving at 55%.
As far as critic reviews go, they were pretty merciless. Martin Thomas laid into Cat in the Hat for over an hour for Double Toasted’s weekly movie roast segment, and apparently he could have kept on going if time allowed. After calling the Mike Myers film the precursor to Cats in terrifying cat-people films, here is what Thomas said near the end of his hour long, live review of Cat in the Hat:
This is one of those movies, man, that I got clips upon clips upon clips and it’s not even enough for one night (to talk about) how bad this movie is. I could sit up here and just keep playing example after example of how shitty and just crazy this movie is in all the worst ways. We don’t even have time for that.
Critics seem to overwhelmingly agree that Cat in the Hat is a great example of chaotic bad and takes a brief, beloved children’s book and stretches it into an unwelcome exaggeration. With over 150 critic reviews, the Mike Myers film, again, sits at just 9%. Typical viewers have a much more friendly opinion on the film, though its 55% compiled from over 250 reviews isn’t anything to celebrate either.
Even with the audience rating the film's just a touch above the middle ground, but they apparently liked it enough to want to revisit it with their children. The film came out almost 20 years ago, which is long enough for those former children watching the film upon its release to have little ones of their own.
In the end, it looks like the nostalgia factor just may win out against the voice of critics. One of the best things about having kids is showing them all the stuff you saw at their age. Give those new kids a few years to grow up and Mike Myers’ Austin Powers films may be trending, although those certainly have a much better rating than the film we're writing about today.
Those with a Netflix subscription can indulge in that nostalgia of Cat in the Hat, but there is also a brand new Mike Myers project on the streaming platform. The Pentaverate sees Myers shift from comedy films to a binge-able series, and is a far cry from the character he played in Cat in the Hat.
