Barnes & Noble

Finicky critics turned up their noses at Garfield. Devoted readers of Jim Davis's globally syndicated comic strip and Bill Murray fans will find that there are some tasty morsels at this buffet, as Murray supplies the pitch-perfect voice of feline disdain as the Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat. Yet, from the blandly appealing leads -- Brecklin Meyer and Jennifer Love Hewitt -- to the lazy script and uncertain computer animation, Garfield has the feel of a direct-to-video production. It certainly plays better on the small screen. Garfield (the only animated character in this otherwise live-action film) is a "happy, fat, lazy cat" with "so much time and so little to do." His idyllic life is shattered when his owner, Jon, adopts a dog, Odie, at the behest of the perky veterinarian on whom he's had an unrequited crush since high school. Initially, Garfield doesn't exactly make the eager-to-please Odie feel welcome. But when unscrupulous TV host Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky) dognaps Odie for his show, the pampered pussycat who doesn't "do chases" is roused from his cul-de-sac to rescue Odie. Garfield was one of the year's biggest family films at the box office, and kids will be eager to get their paws on it. The enthusiastic Odie is a scene stealer, and Murray makes catnip out of kitty litter with his sly readings. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Jim Davis' famous cartoon cat finally makes his way to the big screen in this adaptation of the popular comic strip Garfield, which combines live action with CGI animation. Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) is a sweet, if somewhat clueless, man who shares his home with his pet cat, Garfield (voice of Bill Murray). Garfield is not your ordinary tabby -- he's fat, he's smart-mouthed, he's arrogant, he won't do anything he doesn't have to, and would rather stuff himself with lasagna than do something Jon asks of him. Despite this, Jon loves his cat, but when he decides to expand his animal family, Garfield is less than enthusiastic about the presence of Odie, a lovably enthusiastic dog whose only flaw is his extreme stupidity. While Jon is crazy for Odie, and especially likes having two pets that necessitate periodic visits to Dr. Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a veterinarian he has a crush on, Garfield decides to remove Odie from the picture. Garfield arranges for Odie to become the property of Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky), a television host who acts like an animal lover on the round-cornered screen but doesn't much like pets on his own time. While Garfield at first enjoys ruling the roost again, he soon realizes the error of his ways, and in a rare example of selfless and ambitious behavior, hatches a plan to rescue Odie from Chapman. Garfield also features the voice talents of Debra Messing, Brad Garrett, Jimmy Kimmel, and Alan Cumming. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 024543556756
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:20:00
• Sales Rank: 22,851

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Garfield: the Movie / Garfield As Himself
• Garfield: National Box Set

Features:

DVD MENU