Review: The Lorax

There's a scene in Hannah and Her Sisters wherein Max von Sydow utters one of the best lines of his career: "If Jesus came back and saw what's going on in his name, he'd never stop throwing up."

There are those who probably feel the same way about the good works of Dr. Seuss. One one side there are those who say The Lorax is socialist propaganda aimed at indoctrinating our children into rejecting the free market. On the other side is a camp of people who think capitalism got its greedy claws too deep into the good Doctor's work and are horrified to see he who speaks for the trees hawking sport utility vehicles. There's controversy enough to keep the news networks and Lou Dobbses busy for a few days at least.

But what matter? The film adaptation of The Lorax is delightful. Like Seuss' other works and their cinematic derivatives, when the shallow political hullaballoo has passed, what remains will be memorable entertainment -- the best of the modern Dr. Seuss movies yet.

Set in the unpronounceable town of Thneedville, the story introduces Ted (Zac Efron), who is besotted with the lovely Audrey (Taylor Swift). Audrey's fondest wish is to see a real, live tree -- an impossibility in the entirely astro-turfed Thneedville – pronouncing that any man who could produce a tree, well, "I'd probably marry him on the spot."

That's all the encouragement Ted (or any country music fan) needs. On the advice of his perfectly kooky grandmother (Betty White), our hero seeks the advice of "The Once-ler," a mysterious figure who lives outside Thneedville. Once found, the Once-ler (Ed Helms) relates his tale and presents Ted with the means to restore the trees ... if he can get past the local retailer of fresh air (Rob Riggle).

The realization of Seuss' world in CGI has never been so lush or, frankly, funny as it is in The Lorax. A scene in which fish and bears discover the heavenly delights of marshmallows is worth the ticket price alone. It's tough to imagine that, whatever the commercial uses of his work, Dr. Seuss wouldn't have been delighted to see his creations brought so magically to life. Equally splendid is Ed Helms' turn as The Once-ler. It's the kind of material Helms was born to deliver, complete with ad-libbed pancake-flipping commentary and outrageous musical numbers. The Once-ler's tale occupies the bulk of the film as we learn how Thneedville got its name and just what happened to the trees.

And what of the Lorax? The titular character (voiced by Danny DeVito) has little to do but issue gloomy proclamations and look sad, which is basically what the Lorax does in the book. One also wonders why the Once-ler, having presumably learnt his lesson, sits on the means to restore the forest for years until a lovesick pre-teen comes to call. But why worry about these things? Look! Over there! Singing, and dancing, and prat-falling bears!