The Garfield Movie

For parents hoping for a bit of nostalgia, you may want to just drop the kids off at the cinema and then sit in the car and fire up the old Garfield cartoons on YouTube.

Hyperkinetic stuff, lots of famous voice stars, almost no relationship to the original source... it just let me thinking of Bill Murray.

As [Garfield] used to say, “Big fat hairy deal”. What more is there to add?

This animated take on the adventures of the plus-sized ginger sourpuss is a refreshing step up from the lazy, lasagne-based humour of the live(ish) action versions.

May sport a deep knowledge of film history to delight cinephile parents, but it is still a kiddie movie and comes with the same zany, harried energy one might expect from such a project.

Unlike lasagna, Garfield the cat lacks layers.

Is it Tuesday yet?

While simple and predictable, the film offers excellent voice performances by Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, and others, tying all the humor together for a fun time.

This version isn’t for anyone who wants to see a real Garfield movie. It’s a sort of split between a C grade family comedy and an F grade adaptation of a well known character.

The complicated plotting doesn't make this origin story any more engaging and leaves us wondering why we need to know why our favourite tabby is a grump, although life is purrfect