PHOTO PROVIDED Jim Carrey stars in 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” released by Universal Pictures.

I’m back from a few weeks away from work and I’m ready to jump right into my Christmas themed Throwback Thursday reviews!

I thought I’d start out with a popular one, but that isn’t any less noteworthy than others.

2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is absolutely a classic and a must watch every holiday season, even if you’ve already watched it a billion times (much like me!).

The movie, released by Universal Pictures and directed by Ron Howard, took the beloved Dr. Suess story into the live action world. And, I might add, it’s one of the few cartoon-turned-live-action films I really enjoy.

For those who may not be familiar, the story follows The Grinch (Jim Carrey), a cantankerous hermit who lives far from the Whos in Whoville on Mount Crumpit with his dog Max.

Our story follows the Grinch and Whoville resident Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momson), a little girl who is struggling to understand the meaning behind Christmas.

In an effort to spread Christmas cheer, she nominates The Grinch to be this year’s Holiday Cheermeister as the town prepares to celebrate another Christmas season.

Surprisingly enough, Cindy Lou’s pleas to the Grinch get results and he attends festivities to be crowned the cheermeister. Things take a turn, however, when Mayor Augustus May Who (Jeffrey Tambor) gifts the Grinch with a token of his traumatizing past.

After wreaking havoc on the townspeople (although in a comedic manner) the Grinch vows to find a way to stop Christmas from coming.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” did a great job of building on the original story. Dr. Seuss’ book, turned into a cartoon in 1966, was pretty brief and didn’t flesh out the character’s much. Understandable, of course, given it was a children’s book.

However, the 2000’s movie expanded the universe in a great way and made sure to allow Carrey the ability to use his ever-popular animated comedy to create a barrel of laughs along the way.

Seriously, I often find myself quoting or making jokes from the movie throughout the year!

It’s one of the only times a Dr. Suess’ book was able to successfully be turned into a live action film. (We aren’t going to talk about “The Cat in the Hat”… but you can find my review of that on www.lockhaven.com.)

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” offers a really funny, heartfelt look into the Grinch and his cranky ways. And it also showcases the true meaning behind Christmas in a well done manner.

Carrey gets a lot of credit for this movie’s popularity in my opinion. There’s a reason he’s one of the more popular comedic actors in the last few decades. He knows just how to showcase the fuzzy green recluses traits we’ve come to know and love, while also sprinkling in a lot of comedic one-liners along the way.

Overall, if you haven’t already, you definitely need to add this film to your Christmas movie marathon. It can offer a bit of nostalgia while also getting you the Christmas spirit. Personally, I always watch it while decorating.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is rated G and may be watched on Fubo TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, Google Play, Apple TV and Fandango.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.