Garfield

Review by Clint Morris

You don't need to do much digging to see that Hollywood's initiative well is all but desiccated of new ideas.

One month there's a film version of 70's television series Starsky and Hutch doing the rounds, the next there's another half-dozen superhero films based on the vintage comic books commencing, and adding extra ouch to the abrasion, something as tragic as a film version of kids book The Cat in the Hat starring that hack, Mike Myers, crashes the multiplex.

And after the torture of sitting through that feline flop, you'd hardly be racing back for another rework of a quaint Kitty fave, would you?

Fortunately, the live-action/CGI, Garfield, based on the classic comic strip of the same name, is significantly better than the unenjoyable mess left by The Cat in the Hat. At least - for part of the film anyway - this one has a couple of genuine laughs. Still, that doesn't mean we couldn't have done without it.

The thin-as-wafer plot goes a little like this: Lasagne-loving, lazy fat-cat, Garfield (voiced by Oscar Nominee Bill Murray) lives contently with his own Jon (Breckin Meyer). Until, of course, the local vet (Jennifer Love Hewitt) pleads Jon to take in a little lost Pup, Odie, who's without a home.

Naturally, Garfield doesn't take too kindly to the K-9 crashing his party - and chases him away. All of a sudden though, Garfield starts to feel accountable, and realises he's got to go out and search for the naive little barker.

Garfield has a few good moments that should appeal to under 12's. The relationship between Garfield and Odie (who for some reason is a real dog, not CGI, like Garfield) is quite humorous at times - be it watching Garfield push the pooch from his favourite chair or bopping to music videos in front of the television - and the meowing bugger himself looks pretty slick, obviously a lot of work has gone into making him look just like the cartoon version.

It's funny to note that every other living thing in the film seems to be an actual animal though and not computer-generated. Too expensive perhaps?

Regrettably, there's just as much gone wrong as there has gone right. The plot's very weedy, and even little ones are likely to start yawning about half way in. Ironically, the scriptwriters are Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, whose resume includes Toy Story.

And while it is a coup getting Bill Murray to voice the character of the cat, he actually takes away something from the film. Whether that's because we know we're listening to Bill Murray and not the cat, or whether Murray sounds a little bored with it, is still to be decided. In any case, an unrecognisable voice (like Christine Cavanagh's, who did Babe) might have worked better.

Wait until it appears on television kids.

2.5 out of 5

Garfield
Australian release: Thursday September 16th
Cast: Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Stephen Tobolowsky, Voices of Bill Murray, Brad Garrett, Nick Cannon, Alan Cumming, Debra Messing, Richard Kind.
Director: Peter Hewitt.
Website: Click here.

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