The Garfield Movie Parent Guide

When I was assigned to review The Garfield Movie, I had low, low expectations. I imagined a plot centered around the marmalade cat’s laziness, aversion to Mondays, insatiable appetite, and sense of humor. While all of those elements of Jim Davis’ comic strip are included in the movie, what lays in store for those who watch is an animated adventure involving a kidnapping, a pair of thugs, a robbery, an evil villain, speeding trains, a lovesick bull, and more…

It all begins with Garfield (Chris Pratt) ordering a pizza to be delivered to his comfortable home by drone. The fourth wall is broken as he chats with the audience, offering to tell us the story of how he came to live with his human, Jon (Nicholas Hoult).

One stormy night, Garfield’s father, Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), left tiny kitten Garfield in a crate in an alley, promising to return. Garfield waited as long as he could until he saw an Italian restaurant, with a human sitting next to the window. Unable to resist Garfield’s pitiful looks and over-the-top cuteness, Jon opens the window and lets him in to the restaurant and then his home. From that moment, the two are never parted and Jon gives Garfield a wonderful life, along with his dog, Odie (Harvey Guillén). However, Garfield still harbors resentment for Vic, his deadbeat dad.

Garfield’s tranquil life is disrupted one evening as he and Odie are up grabbing a midnight snack. They are accosted in their own kitchen by a pair of very rough-looking dogs, Roland, a huge shar-pei (Brett Goldstein) and Nolan, a nasty-looking whippet (Bowen Yang). Before they know what hit them, Garfield and Odie find themselves in an abandoned mall at the mercy of Roland and Nolan and their evil mastermind boss, Jinx (voiced by Hannah Waddingham). What Garfield can’t imagine is that this terrifying experience will change his perspective on both his past and future.

I brought my three granddaughters, ages 12, 9, and 5, to see this movie and they loved it! They were on the edges of their seats during the exciting bits and felt all melty at the sentimental bits. When I asked them what values they felt were taught in the film, they said, “Friendship, courage, forgiveness, and love.”

There is a lot of slapstick, cartoon violence in The Garfield Movie, and many completely implausible scenarios, but it’s all in good fun. Of course, it’s not Citizen Kane, but it will probably deliver more than you’d expect. More violence, more product placements, and, thankfully, more laughs and positive emotions. As kids’ movies go, it could certainly be worse.