The Garfield Movie Review - Different Cat, Different Cast

Garfield…

He’s orange. He’s fat. He’s a cat.

And that’s basically what the movie gets right in this somewhat misaligned (and critically maligned) take of the pasta-loving feline. It has almost nothing to do with the comic strip from which it’s lifted, nor the excellent Garfield and Friends cartoon show so beloved by fans in the late ‘80s. The cat, as classically depicted, is a curmudgeon. Rarely affectionate, indifferent to most, and even cruel to a few—this is a cat people love because he reflects their lesser, inner selves. Garfield is the selfish id most people try to suppress.

But apparently, a cantankerous Garfield is a no-go for a movie meant to appeal to the broadest demographic, and especially kids. No child wants to hug a cat who’s going to kick or scratch him back. So this “Garfield” has been tamed. Declawed. Neutered, in a sense—all in the name of selling more of those bug-eyed, suction-cup plushies.

Sure, the cat of The Garfield Movie does retain the thin patina of his other self. He still hates Mondays, for some reason, despite that a life without responsibility would render his Monday complaints moot. He’s still (mildly) snarky. Still takes his owner, Jon, for granted. And, naturally, he likes to eat. But all that’s revealed in the film’s first fifteen minutes—and really, within an early two-minute montage that races through the cat’s formative years. Then the true plot reveals itself—a nigh-nonsensical tale regarding Garfield’s estranged dad, a vengeful feline villainess, and an austere old steer pining for his Heffer lady-love. Ultimately, Garfield must infiltrate a dairy farm and steal a milk truck to pay for his dad’s unscrupulous debts. It’s as inexplicable as it reads, and very antithetical to what the strip’s true fans would demand.

Even Jon, the comic’s second-most prominent character, is rendered almost irrelevant. As is Liz, Nermal, Arlene, and pretty much the entire extended Garfield cast. Only Odie survives this sidelining, but the dog as depicted here is too bright—too quick on the uptake—to properly represent his classical counterpart. Traditionally, the dog’s usually a step behind everyone else. But the movie makes him Garfield’s invaluable right-hand man, the Brain to Garfield’s Inspector Gadget…the quick-thinking Porky Pig to Garfield’s Duck Dodgers. He’s cute, likable, endearing…but not really Odie.

Adapting a comic strip—itself a (usually) shallow form of entertainment—isn’t easy. The Peanuts Movie tried with some success in 2015, but still struggled to find a 90-minute plot—a worthwhile story—embedded between the 5-second gags. And yet, at least Charlie Brown was still, mostly, himself. Snoopy, for the most part, was still recognizable in his imaginative antics.

But The Garfield Movie doesn’t even try to match its source material. If anything, it outright dodges the strip’s more caustic tone, tries to deny its more mean-spirited world. Jon is no longer an overt loser. Odie isn’t dumb. And Garfield has a heart…and is kinda cute.

The Garfield Movie isn’t terrible. But it feels like the flamboyant pilot to a mediocre cartoon show about mildly ornery, middle-aged cats. If that sounds appealing, then go see it...but the strip is completely different.--D

The movie begins promisingly, the classic trio living their lives together without the conceit of some great, fabricated adventure. Alas, it's not to last.

Garfield has never been "cute" in the conventional sense--a fact his creator Jim Davis blames for the cat's documented lack of success in Japan. But Kitten Garfield, as the movie eagerly presents, implores to be adored (and to be remade into a bazillion plushies).

The Garfield Movie's supporting cast; not Jon or Arlene or Nermal...but Vic, Nolan and Roland, and Otto. Yeah...

The movie makes subtle references to other Garfield gags and elements, as seen in the clown "Binky" adorning the cereal box on the right. These subtle nods, however, do little to help make the proceedings feel more like the strip or the old cartoons.

Jon, Liz, and Arlene all get slighted by the film, with Arlene not appearing at all. Likewise, the strip's rougher humor and unkindly characterizations get a heavy snip.

Odie might be the smartest character in the movie. In the strip, he's definitely not. Why would the film subvert such an important, classic character as defined over 45 years?

Garfield has seen the movie-treatment before; the 2004 film meshed a CGI cat with a live-action world for weird, uncanny results. At least the Garfield here was much truer to his comic strip self...for better or worse.