The Garfield Movie – Film Review

Director – Mark Dindal
Writers – Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove, David Reynolds
Stars – Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham

Garfield (Chris Pratt) is spending his days as any self-respecting cat would; maxing out Jon’s credit card ordering online Italian food. One night, while on a trip to the kitchen for a midnight feast, Garfield and Odie are confronted by a couple of dangerous looking wild cats who have broken into Jon’s home. They kidnap the two pets and bring them to a remote location, where they meet Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), a cat with a grudge against Garfield, or more specifically, his long-lost Dad Vic (Samuel L. Jackson)!

Garfield is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis which started life in 1976. There have been several adaptations of the comic, including Garfield and Friends the animated TV show which ran between 1988 and 1994. On the big screen, we have seen many attempts to launch the Cat’s career, including Garfield: The Movie from 2004 which starred the voice of Bill Murray as Garfield. This release even got a sequel with Garfield 2 (Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties – 2006).

One obvious problem with any adaptation of the comic strip is that on the page, we see 3-panel gags where the cat is firmly ensconced in his house! He obsesses over food and talks about lint floating in the air. The film immediately takes Garfield outside his comfort zone and puts him ‘on the road’. For better or worse, most adaptations are radically different from the source material.

The film is aimed at small kids and to consider going to it, you should either be in possession of one or be able to source one at short notice! It’s a gentle tale without any big surprises or sparks of real imagination. The only unusual aspect is that they’ve cast Samuel L. Jackson as Garfield (Chris Pratt)’s father! It’s a straightforward adaptation that will entertain the pre-teens in your life.