The big boned cat that loves lasagna and long naps is back on the big screen in Garfield the Movie.

 

We find ourselves being introduced to Garfield (Chris Pratt) as a stray cat whose father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson) left him in an alley. As he awaits his father’s return, his hunger and the tempting smell of Italian food leads him to meet Jon (Nicholas Hoult). That’s when a beautiful friendship begins, and we are led to believe Garfield will never see his father again. Fast forward, and we find Garfield grown up and manipulating his best pal Odie (Harvey Guillen) to do his bidding. It seems Garfield is living his best life until he’s kidnapped by cat named Jinx (Hannah Waddingham). Jinx uses Garfield as bait to bring Vic out of hiding to force him and his son to pull off a heist stealing many, many, many ounces of milk from a dairy farm. Vic specializes in pulling off heists but has not done the best job being a father. That makes this heist extremely difficult to pull off given he abandoned Garfield. Forcing the pair to work together is either the worst idea ever, or it could re-kindle their father and son relationship.

 

The movie gels well from the editing, animation, and acting. It’s a fun film to watch. Both Pratt and Jackson were great in their respective roles and really made you believe that they were father and son. The comedy was either a hit or miss throughout but that’s probably because it leaned heavily towards children. The emotional moments hit hard because of why Vic abandoned Garfield. Kids’ movies don’t always have an emotional aspect that really builds on the story, but Garfield did.

 

I would give this another watch once it comes out on streaming platforms. If you have a family with small children take them out to the theater or drive-in. This is also a good Father’s Day film too, so maybe go see this with your dad.

 

Rating: 3.8 out 5