Hi! It’s Annie!
I’ve already mentioned how this is my favorite Christmas movie and I’ve actually already done another post on this. But around this time of year it can be really difficult for me to shut up about this movie. There is absolutely no explaining how hard I laugh at this movie, but I have also noticed that this film is not recognized enough for it’s comedic genius. It seems as though many people miss some of the jokes or they go over their heads. Granted, some of the jokes in this movie are delivered so quickly that you might not catch them if you aren’t paying close attention. Some jokes are even funnier after hearing behind the scenes knowledge as well. So, as someone who has done a lot of needless and recent research about this topic, I want to talk about some of my favorite possibly missed jokes from this holiday classic in no particular order. Feel free to give into the want to re-watch this! I swear you will laugh at something new every time.
“Bleeding hearts of the world unite!”:
Not once have I watched this movie and saw anyone react to this one beyond me and my immediate family. This one is said after Cindy Lou first meets the Grinch inside the post office and she, unfortunately, gets sucked down one of the mail chutes. The Grinch is just about to leave her behind when Max guilts him into staying to help her. But not before he yells out this line in exasperation. It is unexpected and gets a chuckle out of me every time.
“He looks just like your boss.”:
This is another one that I’ve barely seen anyone react to. When The Grinch’s mothers are telling Cindy Lou about the Grinch showing up on their doorstep they also give her THAT talk. But in this universe it just means that Who babies are parachuted from the sky in little cradles with umbrellas and poor baby Grinch got blown off course. However, in this scene they did throw in a random Who father who happily opens his door to find his arrived baby only to look more closely at it and confusedly remark that it looks like his wife’s boss. That’s pretty messed up.
The Dressing Scene:
This scene is known mostly for the ending line “Ooh! Ah! Mmm. That’s it, I’m not going.” And while that quote is hilarious in itself, the dressing scene hides a joke that most people gloss over. Before the Grinch steals the yodeler’s ensemble, he tries on a tablecloth and justifies it to himself by saying that it is a kilt. In the scene where he pulls the tablecloth off the table, he pulls it clean off without anything else on the table falling on the floor or even falling over. In anger, the Grinch goes back and pushes everything off. This was not scripted. Jim Carrey was supposed to pull the tablecloth off and everything was supposed to fall on the floor. When he accidentally pulled the tablecloth off too cleanly, he quickly returned to finish the job and that was the take that made it into the movie.
“6:30. Dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again!”:
The entire monologue where the Grinch is justifying to himself why he should not go to a party (can relate), is always funny. But this specific line above was an ad-lib by Jim Carrey that made it into the final cut. And really, I can’t imagine this monologue of sorts without the Grinch lamenting on how he always cancels dinner with himself.
“Alright! Here’s your motivation.”:
This scene entirely consists of Jim Carrey making fun of Ron Howard, the director of this movie. It is complete with real things Ron Howard said while filming and a real impression of how he speaks. It is a completely improvised scene that Howard let into the movie because he thankfully has a great sense of humor. On another note, Howard sat in the makeup chair for hours during filming to get into the claustrophobic Grinch makeup in order to show solidarity with Carrey’s daily struggles. Carrey did not recognize him and believed he was a stunt double which instantly enraged him because he believed that said “double” looked nothing like him. So maybe the sense of humor about these situations isn’t exactly mutual.
“Jury duty, jury duty, jury duty, blackmail, pink slip, chain letter, eviction notice, jury duty.”:
Right before Cindy Lou meets the Grinch for the first time in the post office, The Grinch is up to absolutely no good. I think we can all agree that this is probably the most evil thing the Grinch does in the entire movie. Especially that eviction notice. It’s funny and it’s delivered so fast that it goes over most people’s heads the first time around.
“Are you two still living?”:
The Grinch finally accepts his award and is immediately met with the two women who raised him. Of course, none of us were expecting a warm reunion with the Grinch. But I don’t think anyone was expecting the absolute brilliance of this line. The best part is that it’s delivered in genuine disbelief.
“Now pucker up and kiss it Whoville!”:
Who here thought that a ‘kiss my ass’ joke would make it into a children’s film? Definitely not me. It still surprises me that it made it in every time I watch it, but I will give you that the exact meaning of this joke did go over my head as a kid. I mean, it’s not any worse than the boss joke from earlier.
“Am I just eating because I’m bored?”:
This one’s not exactly underrated, but it’s one of the most relatable lines I’ve ever heard in a movie. Ever.
“I don’t know, it’s some kind of soup.”:
This comes after the Grinch saying that “One man’s toxic sludge is another man’s potpourri”. This confusion is hilarious and also very concerning.
These are only a few of the amazing jokes in this movie and I still can’t get over them. It really has it all between the comedy and the wholesomeness and I never come out of this movie in a bad mood. I guess you could say this one has become a comfort movie for me. Maybe I’ve just introduced you to jokes you didn’t notice or reminded you of jokes that you really love, but either way I hope I inspired you to re-watch this classic. Let’s spread the loathing! I mean…no that’s exactly what I mean. That one’s another relatable quote from this movie. Happy holidays!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 