The Garfield Movie Review: Cuteness, Fun, and Lasagna won't save Garfield from a trip to the vet.

A comedy-adventure film Directed by Mark Dindal about Garfield reuniting with his long-lost father to help him with a heist.

THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. LEAVE OR BE SPOILED

The Garfield Movie, directed by Mark Dindal, is about a heist that Garfield and Odie are forced into with Garfield’s long-lost father, Vic, to escape Jinx’s debt. 

When I walked into the theatre, I didn’t have high expectations of Garfield. I was expecting a movie where I could sit, relax, feel like a child, and turn off my brain. Surprise, surprise, that was exactly how the movie went. 

A recap of the plot: Garfield (Played by Chris Pratt) is “abandoned” as a kitten and is adopted by Jon (Played by Nicholas Holt). Garfield and Odie (Played by Harvey Guillén) are raised by Jon until they are kidnapped by Nolan (Played by Bowen Yang) and Roland (Played by Brett Goldstein) so that they can be used as bait for Vic (Played by Samuel L. Jackson). Garfield, Odie, and Vic are threatened and tasked by Jinx (Played by Hannah Waddingham) to steal copious amounts of milk from Lactose Farm. The three get help from Otto (Played by Ving Rhames), but only if they can save Ethel (Played by Alicia Grace Turrell). The four break into the farm, all getting caught except for Vic, who gets away with the milk, seemingly abandoning Garfield and the crew. Garfield and Odie get sent to the pound, where they are picked up by Jon. After realizing he cares for and loves them, Garfield and Odie return to save Vic. 

One of the highlights of The Garfield movie was the humor. The humor wasn’t bad; I thought it was executed quite well compared to other animated films, which usually incorporate outdated memes that come off as cringe-worthy, but Garfield did not do that. Instead, it heavily relied on callbacks from previous movie scenes, making fun of Garfield for being fat or lazy and referencing actors, other movies, and meta-commentary. 

The animation was good, and I like to add that it felt like the “Peanuts” movie by Blue Sky Studios. The animation captured certain expressions and movements that Garfield made in his comic strips, like his leaning back while widening his mouth and his goofy little tired expression, making this movie feel somewhat nostalgic but looking fresh with the animation. 

Some scenes in the film were cute and brought out emotion and awe from the audience, including me, and the pacing was nice and short, but other than that, this movie was mediocre. 

The first gripe I have about The Garfield Movie is the cast. No disrespect to Christ Pratt; I love his work, but he does not embody Garfield. Garfield is supposed to be lazy and monotone, but Pratt gives him a strange energy that doesn’t feel like Garfield and doesn't sound like him. 

The characters used throughout the movie are either wasted or boring. Jon was wasted completely; for part of the movie, you see him just worrying about Garfield’s whereabouts, but I feel like it is also a mischaracterization of Jon. The same goes for Odie being mischaracterized. I feel like these characters both stray from the source material, but I can let that somewhat go since The Garfield Movie is its own adaptation of Garfield. but then they bring in characters that don’t have personality, and their only purpose is to move the plot forward. There is a gang of cats that used to be part of Vic’s crew that he abandoned, and that seems like it is important to the story, but nope, they are shown for the first time near the end of the movie to inform Garfield that Vic watched him grow up. The Villian of Jinx lacks luster and is so unforgettable that I forgot there was a villain in the movie; the same goes for her two henchmen, Nolan and Roland, who suddenly turn good at the end for whatever reason. Throughout the movie, no sign of them wanting to be good or do the right thing until the end. There are also pre-existing characters in the Garfield mythos that could’ve been used, like Nermal, Liz Wilson  Arlene, Garfield’s mother, and Blinky the Clown, but instead, they are just thrown in at the end of the movie as cameos which seem like such a waste. Why did we need these new characters that brought almost nothing into the movie or were boring?

Parts of the movie seem like they could’ve been rearranged better. Earlier in the movie, Vic notices that Garfield has a collar (they randomly give him a collar that’s buried in his fur), and it’s noticed for a second, but enough for it to mean something. Later in the movie, Vic leaves Garfield behind to be captured by the pound. Garfield feels betrayed but realizes Vic did it because the pound would know Garfield had an owner. This could’ve been removed or moved to a more relevant time in the movie, and I think it would make the movie slightly better. 

Overall, The Garfield movie was a funny movie with some bits of nostalgia sprinkled throughout, but with a story that wasn’t the best and characters lacking depth or anything interesting, I can’t say that this movie was great. I would give Garfield a solid 6/10 and suggest you wait for it to drop on streaming services.