Originally published to 8 News Now on May 21, 2024.

The Garfield Movie was never going to be a cultural landmark on the cinematic stage. Based on the Jim Davis-penned funnies, the film has more in common in tone with the Saturday morning cartoon show Garfield and Friends than the comic strip. Pretending that the 2024 adaptation would be more profound than its source material in any way is to fool one’s self. The Garfield Movie is for kids.

Chris Pratt portrays his latest in a countless line of voice roles, this time taking on the titular tabby Garfield. There’s a reason Pratt keeps getting tapped for these jobs: he’s good at it. He provides a likable, comically-tinged, occasionally empathetic, but consistently solid base to the movie. Samuel L. Jackson voices Garfield’s father, Vic, and he does his job well. The voice cast does what they are there to do: propel the story and keep the kiddos entertained.

Speaking of a story, it’s thin but moves fast enough not to lose the attention span of the children it sets out to entertain. Somewhere here, there’s a father-son story about abandonment issues and redemption, but to call it superficial would be an understatement. Also — there’s a slightly odd preoccupation with Tom Cruise films in The Garfield Movie. It will likely go over the heads of the youngsters, but as an adult, I found myself drifting from the plot of the movie at hand and wondering if Garfield learned all his tricks from Cruise’s library.

The adults will be most engaged when baby Garfield is on the screen, as not only is he absolutely adorable, but that is also when The Garfield Movie is closest to treading on some interesting ground. The story of a lonely Jon Arbuckle at an Italian food restaurant when he encounters an abandoned cat with a penchant for lasagna. There’s a compelling story somewhere there about how these two need each other. However, that promise is quickly abandoned in favor of jokes and hijinks for the kids. And that’s fine. Once again, The Garfield Movie is for the kids.

And that’s the best that can be said for the film. It’s for the youngsters. By all means, they should enjoy the bright colors, slapstick comedy, and quick, witty dialogue. There’s not much here for the parents, but they won’t hate their lives while they get a few hours of quiet time in a dark theater, watching the adventures of Garfield, Odie, and a cavalcade of misfit mammals, and that’s probably enough.