Garfield
2004 · Directed by Peter Hewitt
Original language: English
- comedy
- family
The story
Garfield, the fat, lazy, lasagna lover, has everything a cat could want. But when Jon, in an effort to impress the Liz - the vet and an old high-school crush - adopts a dog named Odie and brings him home, Garfield gets the one thing he doesn't want. Competition.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated suburban daylight and a glossy, candy-coated palette: sunlit kitchens, lawns that look freshly painted, and a warm orange-and-cream cat who sits against a cartoon-real world. The live-action and CGI blend shows its seams, so the camera stays fairly conventional, with plenty of medium two-shots and broad sitcom staging, and the sound is bouncy pop-orchestral comedy scoring with slapstick sound effects and Bill Murray's dry, deadpan voice riding over it all. The feel is cheerful, easygoing and mildly silly, a low-stakes family comedy that moves at a brisk, gag-to-gag clip and rarely lingers. Its emotional register is affectionate and sweet, following a self-absorbed loner who slowly learns to share his home and his affections. Intensity is very gentle: there is no real violence, only pratfalls, a few mild peril-of-the-moment scrapes, and some cat-and-dog bickering. It suits a lazy Saturday afternoon with kids, a comfort rewatch, or background viewing while folding laundry. It is for people who want something light, warm and undemanding, with a grumpy-but-lovable lead and no grit.
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