Garfield (2004)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow, based on the comic strip by Jim Davis
Directed by Pete Hewitt
Starring Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Stephen Tobolowsky, and the voices of Bill Murray, Alan Cumming, David Eigenberg, Nick Cannon, Brad Garrett, and Debra Messing

Features:

• Running audio commentary with director Hewitt and producer John Davis
  

Released by: Fox
Region: 1
Rating: PG for mild language
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Get it if you have kids or love animals

Garfield returns viewers to the 80s and revists a cultural icon: that lasagna-slurping, orange-haired cat that is a paragon of all cat-kind. Voiced by comic genius Bill Murray, Garfield is just as we remember him: sure of his own superiority, pudgier than any vet would like him to be, and willing to say out loud what we're all thinking. Nermal (voiced by Eigenberg) is living with another family on the block, they're not in Indiana, and Jon (Meyer) actually has some success with girls, but everything else is just like it was, only bigger than life.

The plot revolves around Jon making the decision to adopt a dog, Odie, who is then taught how to dance by Garfield. When the local early morning talk show host sees Odie dancing, and when Jon refuses to capitalize off of this, the host, Happy Chapman (Tobolowsky), decides to dognap him. It's up to Garfield and his friends, including the street-wise Louis the rat (voiced by Cannon), to rescue him. But what's Garfield to do when he never leaves his cul-de-sac?

The focus of the film is, perhaps blessedly, not on the people, but on the animals, which means that the voice actors have a lot of work to do, as much as with an animated film. Luckily, the voices of the animals are the best part of the film, especially the brilliant Alan Cumming as Persnikitty. Of course Bill Murray is great as Garfield. And while the creators made the somewhat curious choice to avoid voicing the rather important character of Odie, the other dogs and animals all have unique voices that befit their characters, from Luca the scary Doberman to Louis the insider New Yorker.

One of the best scenes involves Garfield doing his part in the age-old battle against dog-kind when he gets the best of Luca the Doberman and snags a pie in the process. Other good parts involve the lovely Siamese playing the part of Nermal. Another excellent scene is when Sir Roland Persnikitty springs the animal control animals while quoting from Henry V.

It's always difficult to effectively CGI people and animals moving in a natural way, but the creators did an awesome job animating Garfield. He moves and walks like a natural cat, as any viewer will attest. Even the scenes where he's dancing in a way that no cat could dance are at least natural-looking and a minor enough concession to comedy.

The commentary is with director Peter Hewitt and Producer John Davis. It's rather informational, actually, as they talk about what is and is not real (sometimes surprising) and a lot about behind-the-scenes stuff, like choosing voice actors, including Bill Murray, who is apparently a big Garfield fan and is mentioned quite a bit. There's also some info about getting good performances out of real animals, from rats to cats.

I can recommend this film as a rental for fans of Bill Murray, cat people of any sort, dog people, and people of a Certain Age who remember laughing at the Garfield comics of years past. If you're looking for cinematic genius, you won't get it, but you will get some laughs. Not only do dogs get some quality heroic moments, but even the rats of New York get to handle a particularly important "necklace." Ok, sure, it's a little improbable in some ways, but if you love animals (and if you don't, get off my review), then you can't help but like this movie. It's okay. You don't have to tell anyone. Just get it for your family, or tell the checkout clerk that your kid insists. She doesn't have to know you don't even have children.