Garfield: The Movie

Garfield: The Movie (identified on screen as Garfield) is a 2004 American comedy film based on Jim Davis' comic strip of the same name. Directed by Peter Hewitt and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, it stars Breckin Meyer as Jon Arbuckle, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Dr. Liz Wilson and features Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield, who was created with computer-generated imagery.

This article is about the 2004 live-action film. For the upcoming animated film, see The Garfield Movie.

Garfield: The Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Hewitt
Written by
Based onGarfield
by Jim Davis
Produced byJohn Davis
Starring
CinematographyDean Cundey
Edited by
Music byChristophe Beck
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • June 11, 2004 (2004-06-11)
Running time
80 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[1]
Box office$208 million[1]

Produced by Davis Entertainment Company and 20th Century Fox, the film was released in the United States on June 11, 2004. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, it was a commercial success, grossing $208 million on a $50 million budget.[1] A sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, was released in 2006.[2] It is the first Garfield film distributed by 20th Century Fox following the acquisition of the license, which would expire in 2009.

Plot

Garfield, an overweight, lethargic and free-spirited orange cat, lives with his owner Jon Arbuckle. Garfield passes his time by tormenting Jon and outwitting his vicious Dobermann neighbor, Luca. Aside from Jon, Garfield maintains an unlikely friendship with a mouse, Louis, by constantly sparing him, and also socializes with his fellow neighborhood cats, Nermal and Arlene.

Jon has begun habitually bringing Garfield to the veterinarian, in order to see vet Dr. Liz Wilson, whom he is in love with. Jon tries to ask Liz out, but due to a misunderstanding, Jon is given custody of a dog named Odie, who is sociable, friendly and hyperactive. Garfield, however, takes an instant dislike to Odie and competes for Jon's attention. Odie is brought to a canine talent show, where Liz is a judge. Garfield gets chased by the other dogs, which prompts Odie to the center of the ring, where he does a successful improvised dance to the Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama". A local television host named Happy Chapman, who is also a judge, is impressed with Odie's performance, and offers Jon a television deal for Odie, but Jon declines.

When Garfield returns home, fed up with Odie's presence in his life, he hits a ball, causing a chain reaction that leaves the house in disarray. When Jon discovers this, he forces Garfield to sleep outside for the night. When Odie comes out to comfort Garfield, he gets inside and locks Odie out. Nermal and Arlene witness this as Odie runs away but is then picked up by an elderly woman named Mrs. Baker. Jon and Liz search for Odie while Garfield's friends express their disappointment with him regarding his treatment of Odie.

Meanwhile, Happy Chapman, revealed to be allergic to cats, is envious of his news reporter brother, Walter, and dreams to perform on Good Day New York. Chapman and his assistant Wendell find a notice Mrs. Baker created of Odie and, recognizing the lucrative possibilities, claim Odie as Happy's own. When Garfield sees Odie on television and hears Chapman announce he and Odie are going to New York City, Garfield sets out to rescue Odie. Jon discovers Garfield is also missing, so he asks Liz to help search for him and Odie. Garfield gets into the broadcast tower via the air vents and finds Odie locked in a cage, but Chapman enters and secures a shock collar to Odie, which, when activated, releases an electric shock that forces Odie to perform tricks.

Chapman heads for the train station with Garfield in hot pursuit. However, an animal control officer intercepts Garfield, mistaking him as a stray. Meanwhile, Mrs. Baker tells Jon that Chapman took Odie, making him believe Garfield was taken by Chapman as well and then learn Chapman is leaving for the train station. Concurrently, Chapman's abandoned feline star Persnikitty, who dubs himself Sir Roland, along with the other animals Garfield finally understands that his friends were right cause he was jealous of him and realizes how Jon truly cares for Odie. So he tells Sir Roland that he is rescuing Odie from Happy Chapman. They release Garfield from the pound. Chapman boards a New York-bound train, with Odie in the luggage car. After arriving just to see the train depart, Garfield sneaks into the train system control room and switches the tracks, leading to an impending multiple train wreck. Garfield hits an emergency stop button which halts all the trains just in time, then returns Chapman's train to the station. Garfield frees Odie and they prepare to leave. However, Chapman chases them and eventually corners the duo in a suitcase area. Chapman threatens Odie with the shock collar, but Garfield's friends from the pound, Louis with his entire rat family, led by Sir Roland, attack Chapman and place the collar on his neck.

Shortly after, Garfield and Odie incapacitate Chapman by activating the collar. Jon and Liz arrive and find Chapman, whom Jon punches in the face for kidnapping his pets. Garfield, Odie, Jon, and Liz reunite and return home, while Chapman is arrested for his supposed involvement with the trains, as well as kidnapping Odie. Back home, Garfield regains his friends' respect as they hail him a hero while Liz and Jon form a relationship.

Cast

Live action

Garfield creator Jim Davis appeared as an uncredited drunken convention attendee, but his role was cut from the final version of the film.

Voice cast

Production

Jim Carrey was considered for the role of Jon Arbuckle.[3] Jennifer Garner and Angelina Jolie were considered for the role of Liz, but both dropped out with busy schedules. Brad Dourif, Thomas Lennon, and Michael Ironside were considered to play Happy Chapman. Ironside was cast, but he dropped out after one day for unknown reasons, and Lennon was busy on Reno 911. Jack Nicholson was considered for the role of Garfield; he was the only candidate besides Bill Murray.[4] According to Murray's Reddit AMA, he was interested in voicing the titular character because he mistook the screenplay writer's name, Joel Cohen, for Joel Coen of the Coen brothers. He accepted the role, briefly skimming through the script.[5] Co-writer Alec Sokolow disputed Murray's claim in 2014: "He knew it was not Joel Coen well before he met Joel Cohen. It's a funny take. And it kind of defends him against the criticism of making such an overtly commercial film. But, it's complete horse shit."[6][7]

According to Jim Davis, Murray recorded his dialogue in his apartment in New York City and on the set of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou in Greece.[4]

Principal photography began on March 10 and wrapped on June 12, 2003.[8] The animation for Garfield was produced by Rhythm & Hues Studios. Visual effects were produced by SW Digital, Pixel Magic and The Orphanage.

The film's score was composed by Canadian composer Christophe Beck. The soundtrack album was released through Bulletproof Records on October 19, 2004.

Release
Garfield: The Movie on the marquee of a theater in Lakeview, Oregon.

Garfield: The Movie was released in theaters on June 11, 2004, one week before Garfield's 26th anniversary. During its theatrical run, it was preceded by an Ice Age short film, Gone Nutty. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film on VHS and DVD on October 19, 2004.[9] The special features includes a behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, and the Baha Men music video "Holla!". The film was released on a 3-disc Blu-ray on October 11, 2011.

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend, the film debuted on 3,094 theaters and earned $21.7 million. The film grossed $75.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $132.7 million from international markets, accumulating $208 million worldwide.[1]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 135 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.52/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "When the novelty of the CGI Garfield wears off, what's left is a simplistic kiddie movie."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 27 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[12]

Roger Ebert rated it three out of four stars, saying the film was "charming".[13] Joe Leydon of Variety wrote, "Only very small children still easily impressed by interaction of human actors and CGI quadrupeds will be amused by Garfield."[14] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "That Garfield speaks in the supercilious, world-weary drawl of Bill Murray is some small consolation, as are a few of the animal tricks."[15]

Murray's response

Murray said in an interview with GQ that he was confused when he agreed to play the voice of Garfield for the film.[16]

I thought it would be kind of fun, because doing a voice is challenging, and I'd never done that. Plus, I looked at the script, and it said, "So-and-so and Joel Coen." And I thought: Christ, well, I love those Coens! They're funny. So I sorta read a few pages of it and thought, Yeah, I'd like to do that.

Murray continued:

So they went off and shot the movie, and I forgot all about it. Finally, I went out to L.A. to record my lines. And usually when you're looping a movie, if it takes two days, that's a lot. I don't know if I should even tell this story, because it's kind of mean. [beat] What the hell? It's interesting. So I worked all day and kept going, "That's the line? Well, I can't say that." And you sit there and go, What can I say that will make this funny? And make it make sense? And I worked. I was exhausted, soaked with sweat, and the lines got worse and worse. And I said, "Okay, you better show me the whole rest of the movie, so we can see what we're dealing with." So I sat down and watched the whole thing, and I kept saying, "Who the hell cut this thing? Who did this? What the *bleep* was Coen thinking?" And then they explained it to me: It wasn't written by that Joel Coen.

Murray reprised his role two years later in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, also written by the same Joel Cohen.

In the 2009 zombie comedy film Zombieland, when Bill Murray (playing himself) is accidentally shot by Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), he expresses regret for the film.[16]

Other media

Sequel
Main article: Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties

A sequel, titled Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, was released on June 16, 2006, in North America.

Animated film
Main article: The Garfield Movie

20th Century Fox allowed their license with Paws, Inc. to expire in 2009. On May 24, 2016, it was announced that Alcon Entertainment would develop a new computer-animated Garfield film with John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner ready to produce[17][18] and to be directed by Mark Dindal, director of Cats Don't Dance, The Emperor's New Groove and Chicken Little.[19] In August 2019, Viacom, which later merged with CBS to become ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global), acquired the rights to Garfield, leaving the status of the movie for the time uncertain.[20] In a December, 2020 interview with The Walt Disney Family Museum, Dindal confirmed that the film was still in production.[21] On November 1, 2021, it was announced that Chris Pratt would voice Garfield in the upcoming animated film, and that Sony Pictures would distribute the film worldwide through their Columbia Pictures label except China.[22] On May 24, 2022, Samuel L. Jackson was added to the cast of the film.[23] On August 3, 2022, it was announced that the film will be released on February 16, 2024, but was later delayed to May 24, 2024.[24][25]

References
  1. "Garfield: The Movie (2004)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  2. "Garfield A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)". BFI. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. Evans, Bradford (March 17, 2011). "The Lost Roles of Jim Carrey". New York.
  4. Griwkowsky, Fish (June 15, 2018). "Garfield's Jim Davis talks lasagna, Bill Murray and 40 years of Earth's most famous cat". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  5. Child, Ben (July 21, 2010). "Bill Murray's Garfield blunder – a real-life Lost in Translation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. Sokolow, Alec (July 18, 2013). "IAMA Alec Sokolow. AMA". Reddit. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  7. Sokolow, Alec (January 18, 2014). "Bill Murray here: OK, I'll TALK! I'll TALK!". Reddit. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  8. "LXG, Garfield, Hellboy, Spider-Man, Hulk: Comics2Film wrap for June 12, 2003". June 12, 2003.
  9. Tyner, Adam (October 15, 2004). "Garfield: The Movie". DVD Talk. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  10. "Garfield: The Movie (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  11. "Garfield: The Movie (2004)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  12. "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  13. Ebert, Roger (June 11, 2004). "Garfield: The Movie Movie Review (2004)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  14. Leydon, Joe (June 11, 2004). "Garfield: The Movie". Variety.
  15. A. O. Scott (June 11, 2004). "A Cat From the Comics, Full of Lasagna". The New York Times.
  16. "Bill Murray Is Ready To See You Now". GQ. August 2010. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  17. "'Garfield' Animated Movie in the Works at Alcon". May 26, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  18. "Garfield is Getting a Fully CG-Animated Movie Reboot". Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  19. "Mark Dindal To Direct All-Animated 'Garfield' Feature For Alcon". Cartoon Brew. November 12, 2018.
  20. Steinberg, Brian (August 6, 2019). "Viacom Acquires Comic-Strip Cat Garfield". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  21. "Happily Ever After Hours with Animator and Filmmaker Mark Dindal". December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  22. "Chris Pratt to Voice Garfield in New Animated Feature (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. November 2021.
  23. Grobar, Matt (May 24, 2022). "Samuel L. Jackson Joins Chris Pratt In Alcon Entertainment's 'Garfield'". Deadline. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  24. D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 3, 2022). "Sony Dates Animated Chris Pratt Garfield Pic For Winter 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  25. O'Rourke, Ryan (September 16, 2022). "'Garfield' Release Date Moved to Spring 2024". collider.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
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