A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (Babylon, Long Island) my sister and I were young kids and obsessed with The Smurfs and Garfield. I loved dogs more than cats so, of course, I had to root for Odie. He was the lovable but dumb sidekick, mostly abused by the gastronomostrosity known as Garfield.
But who couldn't help but love the lasagna-eating, wise-cracking cat? He was everywhere - comics, cartoons, and merchandise. Like many 80's characters, they tend to fade out, but after a hiatus, they attempt to make a comeback, and this movie was a truly decent attempt at doing just that. I for one am glad to see them do the character justice.
In case you aren't sure about this one here's the description:
Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father - scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) - Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
The Garfield Movie is, at its core, an origin story, and while the overall plot is somewhat cobbled together, I think as a whole, it does what it sets out to do, endear a new generation of kids to these lovable characters. It does it with solid animation and top-notch voice actors.
As stated above Chris Pratt does a decent job of voicing Garfield, and his father, Vic, is played by the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson. We also get the excellent Ving Rhames, as well as, Hannah Waddingham and her Ted Lasso co-star, Brett Goldstein. I can't say enough about the solid voice acting in this one, as well as some truly funny and entertaining dialog. It had me laughing throughout the movie. Parents will appreciate the humor, as well as, the colorful and entertaining rogue - gallery of characters (Yes, even Norman makes a quick appearance).
The story on this one does seem a bit thrown together at times, but all in all, the writers did a decent job of keeping the story moving forward. It does drag a little in the middle as they are planning the heist, but it all seems to come together at the end, as you know it will. And yes, here's a shocker (sarcasm)...the movie is predictable and sweet, and we are delivered a happy, lasagna-filled ending.
Many long-time fans will be upset by some changes like John is severely lacking in this narrative. He serves to provide Garfield with food, finances to purchase more food, and a home in which to cook the food but not much more than that.
I did, however, enjoy the change in Odie, as more of a Robin - the Boy Wonder type, instead of a whipping child. Much of the clever ideas, and comedic scenes involve Odie in one way or another.
I have to say how surprised I was by the quality of this movie. As I stated earlier, the animation looks great, especially the drone scenes on the train (don't want to give anything away). It looked great and the audio was excellent, from the dialog to the music throughout which included a soundtrack of who's who of music from Dean Martin and Marvin Gaye to John Batiste and even a track by Hanna Waddingham (who has a beautiful voice in her own right.)
When you pick up the Blu-ray you will enjoy a few, fun easter eggs, gag reels, and an animatic deleted scene featuring Hanna Waddingham - by they way, have I said how much I love her?
Don't let a few mixed reviews keep you from sharing this delightful adventure with your kids, or even if you're a kid at heart, and still a Garfield fan, you will enjoy this movie for what it is, a lighthearted, if a little flawed, throwback to a time when all you needed was a few slices of lasagna, maybe a pepperoni pizza, and some friends to enjoy the laughs.
Treat your kids to a fun film, unfettered by political agendas and questionable dialogue, and take a roll down memory lane with the laziest cat and all his funny sidekicks.
Grade: B
