Garfield doesn't purr good!

What kind of a life will this boring cat of a movie have at the box office? I am not sure. But sitting through 82 minutes of this concocted part-live, part-action film is a waste of time.

Even the ever-resourceful Bill Murray — as the voice for Garfield, the computer-generated cat — cannot save this witless work. The famous comic-strip cat has been turned into a lifeless creature on the big screen.

Garfield: The Movie is an insult to audiences of any age.

The story concerns a lazy, cranky, smug Garfield. He becomes insanely jealous at the arrival of a cute but dumb dog called Odie in the house of his owner Jon (Breckin Meyer). He has accepted Odie to please the veterinarian Liz (Jennifer Love Hewitt), the object of his fantasy. Garfield resents Odie and lets him out one night.

But when the cat realises that the unpleasant animal trainer Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowky) has got hold of Odie, he is overcome by guilt and grief. Garfield sets out to rescue the puppy with the help of an army comprising a talking cat, dogs and rats (voiced by Alan Cumming, Debra Messing, and others).

Director Peter Hewitt unfolds the slim story slowly and tells it without zest and insight. He gets hardly any help from the animation department. Unlike other animated creatures like Stuart Little, Garfield seems like the creation of lazy and unimaginative animators.

Humans have hardly any work in the film. And the principals cannot offer anything but bland performances. Bill Murray sparkles now and then. But this film desperately needs much more than just a valiant effort by Murray.

I watched the film with an audience in Manhattan. Many young children enjoyed it. But I also remember how much similar aged children had enjoyed Shrek 2. There was thunderous applause at the end of the latter.

Shrek 2, which is on its way to become an all-time animation hit, is still playing in about 3,000 theatres across North America. It is a film with beguiling material for all ages. Unlike Garfield, Shrek 2 is enjoyable for its inventive characters, sharp wit, and glorious animation.

CREDITS
Direction: Peter Hewitt
Cast: Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Stephen Tobolowsky and the voices of Bill Murray, Alan Cumming and Debra Messing
Writers: Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen and Jim Davis 
Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Rating: Parental Guidance