“Garfield” finds the fat cat being taken to the vet on a daily basis, only because his owner, Jon (Breckin Meyer), has the hots for the Dr. Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt). While on one such trip, Liz asks Jon to take the big step - adopt a dog. Garfield’s used to being the center of his owner’s attention and now with this new goofy canine invading his home, Garfield’s relegated to a secondary position. Not happy sharing Jon’s love, Garfield locks Odie outside one night – and Odie does what most dogs would do, he wanders off chasing after cars and gets himself totally lost. The chase is on as Jon and Liz set off to find the lost pooch, while Garfield has to save Odie from a TV personality who’s looking to trade in his cat sidekick for a performing dog.
The human stars of “Garfield” are just window dressing. Breckin Meyer and Jennifer Love Hewitt look sweet as they moon over each other, and both react to the CGI stars in a believable enough fashion. Not that it matters much. Meyer and Hewitt’s characters are pretty forgettable as it’s the animated Garfield and his real-life animal buddies who own the show. And that’s as it should be.
Kids probably won’t mind the fact the movie version of Odie looks nothing like the comic strip Odie. The same goes for Nermal. A cute little gray kittie in the strip, in the movie he’s transformed into a Siamese cat. Again, kids most likely won’t worry over these little details, but they bothered me. I grew up reading “Garfield” and Nermal and Odie have such distinct looks, it’s tough to watch their big screen versions without being a little taken aback by their appearances. That’s not to knock the animal actors chosen to play the roles - I fell for Odie and I love big dogs, not hyperactive little ones. But still, you’d think there would be a couple of animal actors out there that more closely matched the cartoon images. Or if they couldn’t find the right look, then why not throw a few more animated animals into the mix and skip the live-action animals all together? It just didn’t seem right seeing Nermal as a Siamese. Then again, maybe I’m taking the whole thing far too seriously and should get over the lack of continuity between the drawings in the comic strip and the film. Actually, after typing this all out, I’ve decided I really have to get over it. Next I’ll be harping on the fact Bill Murray’s voice didn’t sound like what I expected Garfield’s voice to sound like. Or how all the jokes seemed recycled and bland, even with Murray doing his best to add some punch.
There's nothing special about "Garfield," making it tough to like or dislike with much passion. It's just kind of there. Everything about this movie feels so 10 years ago - so behind the times - even in terms of the animation.
“Garfield” does have a few good laughs and any scene with Garfield interacting with Odie played well. Wiith a short running time, things move along briskly enough to keep the attention of even the youngest members of the audience. “Garfield” is harmless, mindless entertainment with a positive message and absolutely nothing that could be construed as controversial. It’s one of the few kid-friendly movies out there, so if the little ones beg to go, it’s pretty safe to say yes. Otherwise, wait and catch it on cable TV or better yet, skip it all together.
GRADE: C-
"Garfield" was directed by Peter Hewitt and rated PG for brief mild language.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Garfield" Photo Gallery
"Garfield" Credits, News, and Trailer
