Movies have a way of leaving an impact on people one way or another. Sometimes movies are seen during their initial release while others are appreciated later. In my case, Garfield: The Movie was appreciated many years after its initial release.  

With its release in theaters in June 2004, director Peter Hewitt produced a comedy film that followed the life of the iconic, lazy cat, Garfield. Originally a comic, this movie brought Garfield to life in a live-action adaptation. The movie follows how Garfield adapts to a new dog, Odie, that is brought into his home but is later kidnapped. Garfield must figure out how to bring Odie home unharmed through comedic methods for the audience’s enjoyment.  

I was first introduced to this film about eight years ago from watching it at my cousin’s house. Instantly, it made me laugh and I knew this movie would be one I talked about for a while. Although it is a kid’s movie, I think the film can be enjoyed at any age because the comedic aspect carries the movie far.  

Even though the film has been out for nearly 20 years, I still will occasionally watch it if I need a good laugh. I’ve had my friends and cousins watch it as well and they have all enjoyed the humor in it. As we get older, sometimes watching old movies back can make the experience even more enjoyable. When I was younger, there were obviously things that I couldn’t fully understand as a kid but getting to rewatch the movie with my friends and family has been fun. 

Garfield is one of those movies that you can’t help but laugh at. It has a lot of sarcasm, and despite Garfield being a cat, he is very passionate about what he wants and will do what it takes to achieve it.  

When the movie first came out, there were a lot of reviews that criticized the film for producing bad CGI and claimed if people looked past that issue, it would just be another basic kids’ movie. However, regardless of the backlash from critics, the film earned $208 million while having a $50 million budget. The revenue proves that the movie was a hit and impacted a lot of people. It is not easy for films to do well in theaters especially when there is a lot of competition, but Garfield: The Movie proved everyone wrong.