Jim Carrey's Grinch is a beloved Christmas classic (and a lot dirtier than you think)

Children's films have always had a reputation for including a few jokes for the adults in the room (at least the good ones). It's a service to the tired and troubled parents who have to watch the same movie 60 times in a row because their three-year-old suddenly becomes hyper fixated Basil the Great Mouse Detective for some reason (sorry mom).

Remember the scene in Scooby Doo (2002), when perennial stoner archetypes Shaggy and Scooby emerge from their van as smoke rises behind them, before it's revealed that they've just had a barbecue? How about in cars (2006), when two fans approach Lightning McQueen and “flash” him with their headlamps? Then there's the first Toy Story movie, in which one of Sid's Frankentoys is made of a woman's legs attached to a fishing rod (a visual pun on the meaning “whore”). And who could forget every single scene in every single Shrek movie?

This year, when I screened my annual rerun of all my favorite Christmas movies (Did Die Hard make the cut? That's a question for another article.) I was particularly surprised by the amount of adult humor in one film. Even though I saw it what felt like hundreds of times as a kid, I never realized how dirty Jim Carrey's 2000 adaptation was How the Grinch Stole Christmas it actually is.

Seriously, this movie sucks in places. Most of the dirty humor comes from Christine Baranski's character Martha May Whovier, who spends every single scene being extremely horny for the Grinch. The tension between these two is so great you could cut it with one of the Whos' insane cutting machines (Dr. Seuss would probably call it a “wibbledy scoop” or something).

To be clear, this is not a love story – the only thing that exists between these two is raw sexual chemistry. Martha can't stop talking about how attracted she is to the Grinch's rugged, green, hairy body. Towards the end of the film, the Grinch falls face first straight into her chest. I'll put it this way: The Grinch's heart wasn't the only thing that grew three sizes that day.

But the standout scene comes about 25 minutes into the film, when we see a flashback to the Grinch's childhood. In a scene explaining the Grinch's origins, in which he is accidentally brought to Whoville by a “strange wind,” a little Grinch ends up outside a house where the residents are having an honest-to-god key party. That’s right, there are swingers in Whoville!

It's also worth noting that earlier in the same scene we get a glimpse of a successful delivery when a man finds a baby on his doorstep and shouts to his wife, “He looks just like your boss.” These chipmunk-looking creatures can do it just don't let yourself get dirty.

I guess it's not all that surprising that a Grinch movie ends up getting dirty. “Grinch” is one of those words that sounds kind of dirty out of context, whether you use it as a noun, verb, or adjective.

To be honest, it's a nice change. Christmas movies have a reputation for being overly saccharine, so it's nice to break up the syrup with something spicier. If you've never seen it, try adding it to your annual Christmas movie rotation this year. Just make sure you plead ignorance when your kids ask why you laugh so hard at the jokes they don't understand.

And if you think I'm getting too worked up about a harmless children's film from 23 years ago? Well, curl up and kiss it (as the Grinch would say).