Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here, trying my best not to cough up a hairball or vomit on the nice carpet as I give you a very quick look at the second in what I'm sure will be at least an eight-part Garfield series.
The best thing I can say about the sequel to the miserably lame 2004 Garfield film is that it¹s not a miserable or lame thanks to a surprisingly capable upper-tier of British actors providing both acting and voice work to this wholly unfunny but still more tolerable work. By setting the film in England and giving Garfield a number of other animal characters to interact with, this film at least makes something resembling an effort, even if that effort is to be more like the Babe movies.
Without going into all the unnecessary details, Garfield (still inexplicably voiced by Bill Murray), his owner Jon (Breckin Meyer), and Jon's girlfriend (Jennifer Love Hewitt) all find themselves across the pond (what six-month quarantine laws?), where there just happens to exist an overly pampered cat named Prince (voiced by Tim Curry) who looks exactly like Garfield.
When Prince's owner dies, she leaves her vast estate to the cat, much to the chagrin of her human relatives, namely Dargis (Billy Connolly, the only thinthat even came close to making me laugh). Through a series of contrivances, Garfield and Prince switch places, and for a brief time, Garfield gets treated like the pampered pet he's always wanted to be.
What shocked me most about this laugh-repellant exercise is the talent it attracted. In addition to Connolly, Lucy Davis (from the UK version of "The Office") and Roger Rees appear as themselves, while the likes of Bob Hoskins, Richard E. Grant, Jane Horrocks, Rhys Ifans, Vinnie Jones, Jane Leeves, and even Sharon Osbourne voice various animals on the estate. The only whiff of entertainment I got off Garfield 2 was from trying to identify the various British great who stooped to a new low. My heart leapt when I recognized Vinnie Jones as a vicious attack dog sent to kill Garfield; I prayed he would bark out "I'm Juggernaut, bitch" just before locking his jaws on Garfield's fat neck. Alas.
Director Tim Hill (Muppets from Space) has done a noble effort elevating thisSgulpSfranchise from the sewers built in the first film, but he still hasn't gotten this series out from under the manhole.
Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties is still free of any laughs beyond the occasional fart joke, so I'm sure million of children will embrace it. Although with such superior films like Over the Hedge and Cars in theatres now and still doing quite well, I can't imagine any kids clamoring to see this sub-par turd.
Capone
