“Garfield: The Movie” (20th Century Fox)
The comic strip “Garfield” has been brought to the big screen in “Garfield: The Movie.” If you are over ten years old and are going to see it, go where there are a bunch of 5 thru 10 year olds in the audience. They will laugh at every joke, no matter how feeble, and their enthusiasm is infectious.
Director Peter Hewitt is to be commended for knowing how to please his target audience. There are no obscenities, no profanity, and no sexual innuendoes. “Garfield” is one clean cat. The humor is also very basic and to the point, which smaller children love. There is a lot of rolling around and playfully fighting between Garfield and Odie, the dog. Kids love this too.
The film tells the story of how Odie came to live with Garfield and his owner Jon (Brecken Meyer). It seems Jon liked the vet (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and she asked him to give Odie a home. So Jon brought home a dog to live with him and his cat. This did not please Garfield who planned on being number one in that house forever.
Later in the film Odie gets kidnapped by a smirky TV celebrity (Stephen Tobolowsky). It is up to Garfield to rescue him and he does with a little help from his friends. The movie never plays up any danger to the dog so the kids aren’t upset by what transpires.
The computer-generated animation in the movie is great. Garfield appears to be a living, breathing creature. Getting Bill Murray to speak for him was another solid move. The animation and the voice combine to give Garfield a lot of class and sass.
Meyer and Love Hewitt are relegated to the sidelines. Their love story is not the draw here, and so it is wisely ignored for the most part. They are most enjoyable when they are playing with the animals.
The movie is rated PG for mild violence.
For the under ten year olds the movie is a joy; for the rest of us it is tedious. A little Garfield goes a long way and this is one fat cat. But one bright spot for adults is the cartoon, “A Little Nutty,” which precedes the film. This is from the “Ice Age” animators and stars “Skrat” again. Once more he is trying to bury his acorns in the frozen earth, and once more he gets into trouble by doing this. He is a delightfully enjoyable cartoon character.
“A Little Nutty” is fun for all while “Garfield: the Movie” is fun for the smaller kids.
I scored “Garfield: The Movie” a kitty friendly 5 out of 10.
