As a longtime fan of Garfield the cat, I was disappointed in how uninspiring director Mark Dindal‘s “The Garfield Movie” turned out to be. The fat orange feline who hates Mondays and loves lasagna still proves to be a relevant character to modern audiences, but I wish this animated family adventure was more Garfield-centric rather than a generic story that tries to do too much.
Garfield (voice of Chris Pratt) is living the good life as a spoiled indoor cat with his best friend Jon (voice of Nicholas Hoult) and canine friend Odie (voice of Harvey Guillén). All of that is about to change when Garfield has an unexpected reunion with his long-long father, the streetwise alley cat Vic (voice of Samuel L. Jackson). Vic has gotten himself in some trouble with a few shady characters, including the ruthless Jinx (voice of Hannah Waddingham), and Garfield and Odie are forced to join in on a risky heist to pilfer the nearby dairy farm while saying goodbye to the comfortable suburbs.
The concept has potential, but the film feels like two different narratives in one. It’s trying to be a heart-tugging family story as well as a goofy caper where Garfield and pals attempt to rob a farm of their milk supply. It’s not that both story lines don’t work, it’s that they sometimes feel at odds with each other. There is a lot going on here, and it’s overwhelming.
The best parts of the film are the scenes with Vic and Garfield, their sweet relationship providing sincere, heartwarming moments with emotional depth. It’s refreshing to see a story centered around a single dad and his son, making it a great choice for Father’s Day movie outing. The film is clearly aimed at younger kids, and they’ll gravitate towards the cartoonish slapstick and family-friendly action sequences. It’s fun enough to keep adults mildly amused too, but a good chunk of the movie feels as if it was born from mindless mediocrity.
The animation is decent but doesn’t stand out, which makes this more of a babysitting tool than a game-changer in the genre. The film introduces a host of new characters and loses focus on the traditional Garfield mythology (for example, Jon barely gets any screen time, which is disappointing). The story is so generic that it could feature any popular character (be it a group of Minions, Kung Fu Panda, or a Pixar pal), making it feel like a missed opportunity to create something uniquely Garfield. Dindal fails to capitalize on the character’s appeal and doesn’t capture the charm, wit, sarcasm, or overall essence of what makes Garfield so great.
“The Garfield Movie” is fine, but it could’ve been so much better. The movie has its moments of fun, a cast of endearing characters, and heartwarming familial themes, but is a bit of a letdown with its failure to fully embrace the chubby feline’s legacy.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 