In a sentenceBill Murray cannot make every pause sound like a joke, though the cat keeps asking him to
Bill Murray voices Garfield and Tim Curry voices Prince in this family comedy adventure, directed by Tim Hill. Breckin Meyer plays Jon Arbuckle, with Jennifer Love Hewitt as Liz and Billy Connolly as Dargis. The cast also includes Ian Abercrombie as Smithee, Roger Rees as Mr. Hobbs and Lucy Davis as Abby. The music is by Christophe Beck, with cinematography by Peter Lyons Collister and editing by Peter S. Elliot. Released in 2006 and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties runs for 86 minutes and carries a U certificate.
Bill Murray supplies some dry amusement, but this is a poor family comedy with too much chatter between jokes. Billy Connolly and Tim Curry help, though neither can make 86 minutes feel like time well spent.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is a poor family comedy with enough occasional amusement to make its weak writing frustrating. Director Tim Hill has performers who can make a slight line sound funny, but the screenplay by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow gives them far too many slight lines. The film keeps talking when it needs to find something comic for its characters to do. At 86 minutes, it ought to be an easy diversion; instead, too much of it feels like waiting for the next usable joke.
Bill Murray’s Garfield is the main reason to persevere for a while. There is pleasure in the voice’s reluctance to sound impressed, and the delivery can make even an unpromising remark briefly entertaining. The trouble is how much the writing relies on our enjoying that familiar dryness, regardless of what the character actually says. A performance this unhurried needs sharp material, and too often the pause before a line is more enjoyable than the line itself.
Tim Curry’s Prince supplies a more theatrical alternative, and Billy Connolly works hard as Dargis. Their willingness to be broad is welcome in a film that does not always seem certain how silly it wants to be. Breckin Meyer, as Jon Arbuckle, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, as Liz, have less opportunity to supply the missing surprise. The human performances are rarely the trouble, though the film gives us little reason to anticipate their next contribution.
We were amused by the animals making pasta in the kitchen, because the film finally gives them something to do besides talk. Peter Lyons Collister’s cinematography keeps the activity readable, allowing the task itself to provide some comedy. Tony Burrough’s production design gives that activity a useful setting rather than merely something agreeable behind the characters. It is modest physical business, but it offers the sort of straightforward pleasure that the dialogue too often fails to provide.
Peter S. Elliot’s editing offers bursts of momentum, but the stretches of chatter still feel laboured. Too many exchanges continue after their comic possibilities are exhausted, and shortening the gaps would not solve that. Christophe Beck’s music supplies enthusiasm without making those scenes feel much funnier. Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow needed to give the characters stronger jokes before the editor and composer could do much to help them.
Simple plotting is no objection in a children’s comedy; knowing where a story is going can be part of the pleasure. What matters is finding some surprise along the way, and this film offers too little beyond its performers’ efforts. The crude humour and tired references are particularly disappointing because neither requires much attention to character. Being easy for a young child to follow should not mean giving an accompanying adult so little to enjoy beyond an occasional funny delivery.
The cast’s effort deserves acknowledgement rather than blame, and the kitchen passage suggests a more consistently playful film was possible. But liking Garfield, or liking Bill Murray, is doing a large share of the work. For a family evening, we would look for a comedy that does not need its audience to arrive already fond of the cat.
Most critics find Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties a weak sequel, though several consider it an improvement on its predecessor. Praise clusters around the animal cast, particularly the British voice performers, with Bob Hoskins singled out for his comic contribution. The reviews also find scattered pleasures in the set-pieces and more convincing animation. These concessions rarely amount to a recommendation: the prevailing view is that the film offers too few laughs beyond those likely to satisfy young children.
The reservations centre on stale jokes, an obvious plot and a shortage of invention. Pace divides the reviews: The AV Club welcomes a faster sequel, while the Los Angeles Times finds it slow and chatty. Variety is the clear positive outlier, judging the plotting cleverer and the comedy broadly appealing. That enthusiasm creates a wide spread, but most critics regard the improvements as modest repairs to a series that remains unpersuasive.
Leydon finds the sequel a genuinely clever, broadly appealing improvement over its predecessor. He praises the funnier plotting and especially the lively comic performances, including Bob Hoskins’s vocal turn as Winston.
Read the full review →Rabin finds the sequel a considerable improvement, though it only raises the series to near-mediocrity. He praises its faster pace and shift toward the chattering animal cast, while criticizing its stale references and crude humor.
Read the full review →The review finds the sequel only slightly more appealing than its predecessor. It singles out the British voice cast, including Vinnie Jones and Bob Hoskins, as a bright spot.
Read the full review →Moore considers the sequel an improvement over the first film, but still a poor, merely endurable semi-toon. He praises the kitchen sequence with the animals making pasta, while criticizing the film’s slow, chatty pace.
Read the full review →O'Hara finds the sequel an undercooked, tedious slog for anyone beyond very young children. She praises the more convincing animation and notes a few silly set-pieces that may delight kids.
Read the full review →Gonzalez finds the film boring and mediocre, criticizing its muddled adaptation and uninspired jokes. He particularly objects to its elitist story and references to Black pop culture.
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BabeTalking animals, careful comic timing and a kindness that never feels forced.
The Cat Returns · not reviewed yetFeline royalty and an unwilling visitor make for a more imaginative adventure.
PaddingtonAn outsider causes household trouble, with proper jokes for children and adults.
A Town Called Panic · not reviewed yetAnimal absurdity driven by frantic invention rather than another round of chatter.
The Incredible Journey · not reviewed yetAnimal adventure that trusts its creatures without giving every moment a punchline.
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