Cut to the chase: Similar 80s retro properties, like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” have found great success with modern silver screen adaptations, but “The Garfield Movie” loses the charm and good-natured humor of its source material with a meandering plot and a focus on new characters rather than the comic’s tried-and-true.
Synopsis
In “The Garfield Movie,” the simplicity of Garfield’s everyday antics is replaced with a somewhat convoluted storyline. Slowly becoming the premier – or at least, most hired – voice-over actor in recent memory, Chris Pratt lends his voice to Garfield, an overstuffed orange cat who’d rather spend the day lounging on the couch than anything outside. He is kept happy and fed by his dog brother Odie and his human dad Jon (Nicholas Hoult). Garfield’s easy life is turned upside down when his biological father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to his life after leaving him stranded in an alley as a kitten.
Vic is being blackmailed by a former friend named Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), a pretty white house cat with a thirst for vengeance who kidnaps (err, catnaps) Garfield to use as bait. She wants retribution from Vic, who left her high and dry during one of their milk-stealing schemes years prior. Threatening to sic her tough subordinates on them if they do not repay her in hundreds of cartons of milk, Vic, Garfield, and Odie must infiltrate the local farm or risk losing each other again. They team up with a love-sick bull named Otto (Ving Rhames) who helps the unlikely team pull off the heist of the century.
New and improved?
Though the American comic strip character was first published in 1978, later adaptations, including a popular Saturday morning television show in the mid-90s, made Garfield a household name for generations of young fans. The self-confessed lazy orange cat created by Jim Davis won readers over with his sarcasm and light cynicism, hate for Mondays, and extreme adoration of lasagna. The gags and predicaments in which Garfield found himself were often slapstick mischief or pranks aimed at Odie, his yellow canine brother who acted as Garfield’s on-screen foil. His human father, Jon, was a source of comedy, but also a sense of home and belonging for the ragtag animal duo.
Unfortunately, much of what fans will remember about Garfield has been replaced with a script that offers more action but less heart. Jon is bankrupt of any defining character traits. He is forced to spend much of the film wallowing and searching for his lost animals. Odie is also an afterthought, a muted sidekick without the strong presence he had in previous iterations. The emphasis on Garfield’s relationship with Vic, a brand-new character in the comic’s universe, is both uninteresting and frustrating for those who expect more of the same. There are moments of entertainment and physical comedy, but the plot sends its characters to too many places to no avail.
A weighty change
Though much of the original cartoon centered around Garfield’s growing physique, 21st-century parents would be horrified to hear the F-word (FAT) in a film for children. As such, the film avoids any mention of Garfield’s weight. There is one quick joke shoved in the middle of a montage sequence where Garfield hops on a scale and breaks it. The doctor says that they’re going to need the bigger scale, and after the cat makes a face at the camera, the scene passes without further probing.
Likewise, the message that Garfield has historically sent about healthy eating and lifestyle choices has been updated. While he still indulges in all the carbs that the Italian restaurant offers on their menu, there are also moments where Garfield chooses a mass of fresh fruits and vegetables. Despite food being a center stone of the original character and his escapades, that is not true with “The Garfield Movie”. A drone delivery from his favorite Italian restaurant does save the day and the lives of our protagonists, but it isn’t so much about eating the food as it is the idea of the food in general.
Know before you go
MPAA Rating: PG for action/peril and mild thematic elements
Recommended Age: 6+
Runtime: 111 minutes
Nightmare Inducers: The 4-year-olds who accompanied me to my screening had a few moments of uncertainty and light fear. At one point, Garfield is stalked and kidnapped by two unsettling canine henchmen who look more in line with a Ren & Stimpy episode, with their abnormal proportions and freakish appearances, than with Garfield’s clean-cut, traditional comic strip style. The feline villainess has moments where her eyes turn red, making my young companions jump. The film frequently uses loud, dramatic music and dark, ominous imagery to highlight Garfield’s terror, making even innocuous cut scenes even scarier.
Complex Concepts or Emotions: In this iteration, baby Garfield was abandoned by his father, Vic, in a dark, rain-soaked alley. He smells pizza from across the street, and the film explains how he meets his adoptive father, Jon. When Vic later returns to his son’s life, Garfield is resentful and confused by the abandonment and, therefore, cold and abrasive towards his father. This could certainly cause some emotions in sensitive viewers. Vic’s improper actions, which land Garfield in hot water at the film’s heart, may have some viewers confused by its themes of robbery, blackmail, and extortion.
