--- title: "The Garfield Movie: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-garfield-movie/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-garfield-movie" critics_score: 48 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Garfield Movie (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 48 from 15 reviews: 3 positive, 6 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews lean towards disappointment, though several critics find enough slapstick and warmth to make this an enjoyable children’s film. Praise centres on the opening, bursts of physical comedy and occasional tenderness in Garfield’s relationship with his father. Some also welcome the illustrated look and expressive animation, while Hannah Waddingham’s voice performance stands out even in otherwise unfavourable reviews. The recurring complaint is that a busy, formulaic adventure leaves little of Garfield’s deadpan wit or defining laziness intact. The spread is wide, with comic timing and animation drawing sharply opposing assessments. The Guardian welcomes the frantic cartoon energy and sharp jokes; Paste also enjoys the slapstick, despite finding Chris Pratt’s voice work generic. Less persuaded critics describe weak storytelling, intrusive product placement and action that could belong to almost any animated character. Even among the more favourable reviews, enjoyment often comes with caveats about originality and how much will linger afterwards. ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Rating 4/5. 26 May 2024. Ide finds this animated Garfield adventure a refreshing step up and worth watching. She praises its frantic Looney Tunes energy and genuinely sharp comedy. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/may/26/the-garfield-movie-review-a-fun-and-frantic-feline-adventure) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2024. Walsh finds the film formulaic and overly energetic, but cute and irreverent enough to entertain children and adults alike. She praises its illustrated visual style and its playful film-history references, especially the Tom Cruise nods. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-24/the-garfield-movie-review-chris-pratt-odie-jon-animation) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or criticism could be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/23/movies/the-garfield-movie-review.html) ## Radio Times — Calum Baker Rating 3/5. The review calls the film unoriginal but spirited. It criticizes the kid-friendly screenplay for sanding away the original comic strip’s deadpan wit. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-pqrorn/the-garfield-movie/) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating C. 20 May 2024. Erbland argues the film loses what makes Garfield distinctive and should return to the drawing board. She praises the energetic opening and the training montages, but faults the weak connective story and intrusive product placement. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-garfield-movie-2024-review-1235004735/) ## The AV Club — Leigh Monson Rating C-. 21 May 2024. Monson finds the film a generic, identity-free adaptation that struggles to entertain either children or adults. The review faults its lazy humor and uneven pacing, with little to praise beyond occasional slapstick. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-garfield-movie-review-identity-free-adaptation-is-1851487368) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 2/2/1. 21 May 2024. Jenkins finds the film an extremely forgettable, laboured outing. He criticises Chris Pratt’s tired vocal performance and the film’s poorly timed, uninspired animation. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-garfield-movie) ## Total Film — Neil Smith Rating 2/5. 20 May 2024. The critic finds the film disappointing, despite its energetic plot and appeal to younger viewers. He criticizes the story for feeling far removed from the Garfield comic strips. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-movies/the-garfield-movie-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2024. Scheck finds the film tiresome and cynical, with routine action comedy replacing Garfield’s subversive humor. He praises the charming opening origin story but criticizes the rudimentary animation and Chris Pratt’s colorless vocal performance. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-garfield-movie-review-chris-pratt-1235903867/) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2024. Nugent finds the film lazy, over-sentimental, and full of weak jokes and baffling diversions. He singles out Hannah Waddingham’s performance as Jinx as a rare bright spot. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-garfield-movie/) ## Variety — Carlos Aguilar Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2024. Aguilar pans the film as a generic, product-placement-heavy adventure that loses Garfield’s defining apathy and sarcasm. He praises the animation’s appealing blend of cartoony expressions and realistic fur, but says the film’s high-stakes antics betray the character. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/the-garfield-movie-review-chris-pratt-1236009935/) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 6.8. 20 May 2024. Hassenger finds the film a surprisingly good time, though it is disposable and falls short of Dindal’s best work. He praises the slapstick gags and their split-second comic timing, while finding Chris Pratt’s voice performance generic. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/mark-dindal/the-garfield-movie-review) ## The Wrap — William Bibbiani Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2024. The critic finds it a reasonably enjoyable kids’ film, though it is short on laughs and unlikely to become a family classic. He praises its unexpected tenderness, especially Garfield’s relationship with his father. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/garfield-the-movie-review-chris-pratt/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2024. Lattila finds the film flawed and unoriginal but strangely comforting, with children likely to enjoy it. She singles out Hannah Waddingham’s lively voice performance and criticizes the animation as stilted and uninspired. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-garfield-movie-review-a-perfectly-fine-if-uninspired-animated-flick/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2024. The critic finds the film stodgy, bland and undercooked. They single out its conspicuous product placement and say the brief comic-strip-style montages are among its best moments. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-garfield-movie-2024-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-garfield-movie.md