Garfield (2004) Movie Review

Garfield (2004) Movie Credits:

jamiekelwick's score:
2 out of 5

Average Score

based on 0 ratings

No-one wants to see this movie.

Report bad or inappropriate content

Garfield (2004) U.S. Cinema Release Date:

11^th Jun 2004

Garfield (2004) U.K. Cinema Release Date:

30^th Jul 2004

Visit our Movie Information Page for Garfield (2004)!

Add a review for this movie:

This Week's US Cinema Releases:

This Week's UK Cinema Releases:

Garfield (2004) Synopsis:

Life couldn't be sweeter for Garfield, everyone's favorite feline. Parked on a comfortable chair in front of the television, feasting on his favorite dish, lasagna, and hurling insults at his beleaguered owner Jon, Garfield is the master of his universe. When Jon takes Garfield to visit beautiful veterinarian Liz Wilson, she gives Jon a pepped-up, tail-wagging, panting creature that represents everything that Garfield loathes. Garfield, meet Odie, a lovable, dim-witted dog. The wise-cracking cat is, for the first time in his nine lives, left speechless. The clueless Odie chases his tail till he's dizzy, crashes into walls, and barks without cause, all to the unbridled delight of Jon who eagerly welcomes Odie into his home. Odie turns Garfield's perfect world upside down. Garfield's solution: OUT, DARN DOG. When the hapless hound disappears into the evil clutches of local celebrity Happy Chapman, you would think Garfield would rejoice. But he feels responsible for the fate of another. With uncharacteristic energy, courage and selflessness, Garfield manages to pull himself away from his lazy life and spring into action. He's on the unlikeliest of impossible missions: to save Odie.

Garfield (2004) Review:

Garfield�s (Murray) life was pretty perfect. He had his owner John (Meyer) wrapped around his little paw, he ruled the cul-de-sac that he lives in, he could be as lazy as he wanted and eat his favourite lasagne all the time. Life couldn�t be much better for a cat. Everything changed with John�s potential sweetheart Liz (Love Hewitt) gave him a dog called Odie. Was the power in the Arbuckle household about to shift?

Jim Davis�s much loved comic strip and cartoon series receives the live action treatment but is Garfield going to make any friends? Yes, but only some very young ones.

Fans of the comic strip and TV show will be glad to hear that the filmmakers have got their favourite fat ginger cat just right but then thrown him into a terribly scripted movie. The plot really lets the film down as our lazy hero is forced to endure an almost pantomime like villain and a typically sugary sweet Hollywood treatment that would make him cough up his lasagne. Why the filmmakers didn�t get his creator Jim Davis to write the script we will never know.

Garfield himself is spot on, thanks to some fantastic computer animation and the voice of Bill Murray. Replacing the legendary Lorenzo Music, who sadly passed away in 2001, Murray brings Garfield�s dry wit and sarcasm to live with great skill. There just isn�t anyone else who could have voiced this much-loved character. The animation is first rate as CG Garfield effortlessly interacts with his environment and other cast members. Just watch his scenes with Odie on the chair and you will applaud the skills of the animators. That also applies to the rest of the animal cast. Some extremely well trained cats, dogs and rodents play them but the animation of their mouths and expressions is first rate.

Human cast is just there for show. Breckin Meyer doesn�t really have much to do as John Arbuckle and he just isn�t geeky enough to be Garfield terminally unlucky owner. Jennifer Love Hewitt is absolutely gorgeous but that just seems to be her career at the moment, nothing but eye candy. Stephen Tobolowsky does his best as Happy Chapman, the villainous TV presenter looking for his big break but he doesn�t have the lines to make him a credible bad guy.

Garfield is a movie made for younger children and they will get a lot of enjoyment from it. For everyone else who grew up with the cartoon and comic strip, even their favourite ginger cat can�t save the film�s unimaginative script and sugary Hollywood coating. Hire out the cartoon and have some lasagne instead.