Ron Howard knows this. And he knows that some people are going to look at the mammoth marketing push behind his big-screen adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and feel that it flies in the face of the book's central message.
And he knows that the avalanche of Grinch-related toys, costumes and green Oreo cookies, not to mention the ubiquitous billboards and television commercials promoting the film, are going to bring out the Grinch in many of the book's fans.
"What can you do?" Howard asks rhetorically. He's sitting in his trailer on the Universal Studios back lot, and next to him is a giant stack of "Grinch" cereal boxes and posters for him to sign.
About every 10 minutes or so, a Universal Studios tour tram rumbles by, the guide enthusiastically noting that "on your left is Stage 6, where Jim Carrey made the upcoming holiday hit 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas.' "
"But I think if you really look at it," Howard continues, "the story sort of has its cake and eats it, too. The books ends with the Grinch embracing the holiday and realizing that he kind of had it wrong, that while the Whos seem to be over-the-top and buy a lot of stuff and put up too many decorations, that perhaps Christmas doesn't come from the store, perhaps Christmas means a little bit more.
"Seuss is basically decrying the commercialization, but by the end of the book, he's saying, 'You know, I think people still have their hearts in the right place. They go too far, but deep down they're OK.'
"So, I guess we're embracing that, too. At the end of the day, Seuss and us, we all agree that it can be a little crazy and worth lampooning, but still, people have their hearts in the right place."
Which may be Ron Howard's way of saying that his heart is in the right place as he tackles one of America's most cherished Christmas stories.
