Garfield: The Movie

Everyone knows Garfield. Don't they? That lovable, furry, fat marmalade cat, with oodles of personality.

His carer Jon (Breckin Meyer) is a nice guy. Better looking than Garfield, but dull. Always working. Still, as long as he keeps feeding Garfield lasagne, that's okay.

With Jon at work, Garfield is free to be the perfect slob - flop into the armchair first thing, press the remote. Heaven!

At weekends, Jon has a habit of disturbing the peace and gets excited if he sees a mouse. Bor-ing... Garfield likes the little guy.

"Look, a mouse! Get it, Garfield!"

"Get it, Jon," says Fluffy Chops, as he stalks off, squeezing out through the cat flap - humiliating, huh?

"Cool it, mouse man," cautions Garfield, as his feline friends smirk like Geisha girls.

Ah Gawd, one of those veterinary visits! I swear it's because Jon fancies Liz (Jennifer Love Hewitt), the pretty vet. She's dull, too, but smiles a lot. He'll think up anything, have Garfield on his back clawing the air, just to prolong her examination.

Bedtime. Jon put his foot down a while ago. No sharing, no under the duvet snuggles. Garfield has his own bed next to Jon's. Cute, huh?

But there is a world out there, one that Garfield doesn't need, or want to know about. And two horrible events are about to change his dramatically.

Garfield knows of Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky) from his TV presentations. Boy, is he lame! Okay, leave him there for a while, until we reach that awful dog show. Yes, a real live one.

Meanwhile, Jon and Liz are becoming friends. Professionally, of course. Liz persuades him to take a forsaken puppy, called Odie. What an insult! Isn't Garfield enough to keep a man happy?

At night, Odie jumps onto John's bed. Bad mistake, yung'un, thinks Garfield, the dog house for you. But Jon pats him, cuddles him and oh! the ultimate insult! doesn't push him off.

I'll show him, thinks Garfield. Want to know what a cool cat does? He jumps to the floor, up on his hind paws and boy! can that cat rock-and-roll. Up goes Odie. What a dainty dancer! It's too much. I'm the cutesy one, thinks Garfield.

Off to the dog show. Odie dances, unrequested, causing chaos before the judges and is spotted by Happy Chapman. I need a class act like that, he thinks, and what I want I must have.

Soon afterwards, Odie gets lost, or is snatched. It's no good looking innocent, Garfield, we know you're a bum. But those feline friends make him feel bad and it's Garfield to the rescue!

Believe it or not, he does have a heart and so off he sets downtown for an uncomfortable, thrilling adventure. That little mutt's not such a bad guy, he thinks, and a cat's gotta do what a cat's gotta do.

Bill Murray is the voice of Garfield. So laconic, so cool, it's amazing they have never joined up before. Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow's script provides the wit that lubricates the visual gags that give the film its momentum.

Go see it! You'll be in for a good time.

STOP PRESS!!!

message from a younger relative.

Nathan (aged 13) writes:

i thought bill murray's voice suited garfield.

i thought the animals were more interesting than the people, because they were more lively and the people were dull.

i thought garfield was a brilliant character, the same with odie, but i found Jon was a bit dull.

i thought the characters were very good and suited what they were like in the film.

i found garfield's character hilarious, especially when he confused the dobermann.

i also liked odie; he was great, especially when he was dancing.