“The Garfield Movie” is fun for kids!

HOLLYWOOD – I watched this cartoon character regularly as a child. I mean, it was my early morning or Saturday trip to see the cartoon other than Scooby-Doo. I’m referring to “Garfield.” Well we have another animated film for the iconic character, heck, I even think we had a live action version of this character which wasn't that great in my opinion.

Still, I was a little surprised by this movie. It was more entertaining than I expected, and if you have kids who also enjoy the movie, that's a plus. I mean, if my 5-year-old niece is into the movie enough to entertain a child who normally jumps around and has an energy that you can't contain, then the cartoon has served its purpose.

So let's get into this flick, which tells a backstory that I honestly didn't even know existed. I'm referring to the audience learning about Garfield's backstory in regards to his actual father. Yes, I never thought Garfield (voice of Chris Pratt) had parents, but this new version is a solid narrative. Garfield's father is voiced by actor Samuel L. Jackson. Listen, I'm going to say something that I might get a lot of heat for, but I don't care. Jackson isn't a particularly great actor, even in a cartoon, this guy has to scream.

I would love, just love to see Samuel L. Jackson in a movie where he is NOT allowed to scream. It's become such an expectation that I feel like Jackson is just being Jackson; he doesn't represent any particular character, if you'll have my honesty. The narrative follows Garfield on his journey to track down his father, Vic (Jackson), and learn about how he came to be part of the family, which also includes Jon (voice of Nicholas Hoult) and Odie (voice of Harvey Guillen).

We know that the cat loves to laze around, sit and do a lot of nothing while eating, especially when it comes to lasagna, which some of these scenes are pretty funny. I actually laughed when I saw this flick compared to the other recent cartoon, “IF.” Of course, the movie has an important message that family is the most important thing in life. You may not always be with the family that gave birth to you, but those who love you unconditionally are the key to your growth and maturity, which is something Garfield learns over time.

What he thinks he knows about his father Vic may not be entirely true, perhaps there is more to the story than what he is told or what he hears. There are some fun supporting characters, particularly Jinx (voice of Hannah Waddingham) as an overweight cat who is MUCH bigger than Garfield, and Vic, who has a score to settle with Vic for abandoning her. Her sidekicks Rolan (voice of Brett Goldstein) and Nolan (voice of Bowen Yang) are a hilarious pair; It's always amazing when you see these supporting characters who are fiercely loyal to someone, but that person isn't loyal to them.

Will Garfield the Movie change your life? No, but it was fun, got a laugh, and entertained both adults and children, which is exactly what an animated film should do.