Movie Review:

Garfield: The Movie

by Lynn B

You know Garfield, right? He cannonballs onto his owner Jon in the morning to wake him up. He sleeps with a teddy bear called “Pookie” and is always harassing ditzy dog Odie. Well, now he’s hanging with Jennifer Love Hewitt!

Bill Murray is the voice of Garfield, an arrogant, lasagna-loving fat cat who rules the roost at the home of his owner Jon (Breckin Meyer). Garfield and his pals like to steal milk and drive the local Doberman Pincher nutz. When Jon takes in Odie, a clueless but lovable pooch in order to please his would-be vet girlfriend Dr. Liz (Jennifer Love Hewitt), lots of Garfield versus Odie stuff ensues until Odie is locked out one day and runs away to the big city. All of Garfield’s pals think he sent the dog away and shun him.

Garfield has to leave his cul de sac home for the first time in his life and go rescue Odie…of course, he realizes that he really likes the little guy.

Okay, where have we seen this before? Beloved pet (toy) feels displaced by new pet (toy) but when that pet (toy) has been taken away and is in danger, the original pet (toy) must go rescue him and finally bond with him. Uh can you say Toy Story? Garfield: The Movie was written by the same writers who, I guess, decided two times for one story is a charm. There is nothing new here at all but, Bill Murray, as the voice of Garfield totally nails the character and makes him come to life. He’s hilarious! He even sings.

Some critics have had a problem with the fact that the CGI Garfield is a cross between a cartoon and a “real” cat. You see every tiny hair of his orange coat but he has weird eyes, etc. And they don’t like it that the other animals in Garfield’s world are “real” animals who talk like Babe. That didn’t really bother me. I do think that Odie probably should have been CGI like Garfield and that the real cat they chose for Nermal should have been a gray stripe one like in the comics, rather than a Siamese. But, the dog playing Odie is so cute and lovable that maybe it doesn’t matter.

So, wrapping up, there is nothing new here story-wise. I would rather the story had centered on Jon, his budding relationship with Liz and Garfield’s attempts to break it up so he can have Jon all to himself since the Toy Story rehashed been-there-seen-that plot is stale. However, Bill Murray as Garfield is worth the ticket price. And, the weird but cute fat CGI cat does grow on you as the film goes on. I would pay to just see Garfield, voiced by talented actor Murray, do songs, a dance and a stand-up routine!

This movie is rated PG

 

The official movie web site - GARFIELD: THE MOVIE

pictures courtesty and copyright 20th Century-Fox