Garfield 2

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Garfield 2's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Garfield 2 completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 9 September 2006.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Garfield 2 contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Garfield 's owner Jon (Breckin Meyer) wants to marry Liz (Jennifer Love-Hewitt). As far as Garfield is concerned this will ruin his lifestyle so he decides to interfere. This works the first time but then Jon decides to secretly follow Liz to London so that he can propose to her there. Garfield and Odie, Jon's dog, stowaway in Jon's luggage to stop the proposal.

In the meantime, in London , another cat called Prince has been left a castle by his wealthy owner Lady Bellingham, who has recently died. Lady Bellingham's nephew Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly) who wants the castle for himself, puts Prince in a picnic basket and throws him in the river, and Prince floats downstream to London .

Once in London , the two cats become victims of mistaken identity. Garfield ends up at the castle and Prince ends up with Jon in his hotel room. In the meantime Lord Dargis is still trying to get rid of the cat who is now Garfield. Garfield of course has no idea and is enjoying all the food and attention.

Eventually Prince gets back to the castle where he and Garfield must decide how to set things right.

Themes

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

None of concern

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie including:

• Lord Dargis threatens some solicitors with a crossbow
• A nasty rottweiler tries to attack Garfield
• Lord Dargis threatens some animals with a gun
• Jon punches Lord Dargis in the face and knocks him out

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, some children under the age of eight could be concerned when Prince is floating away down the river in the basket.

Over the age of eight

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened. Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

It is unlikely that anything in this movie would scare or disturb children over the age of eight.

Product placement

None of concern

Sexual references

None of concern

Nudity and sexual activity

At the end of the movie Liz and Jon kiss each other

Use of substances

There is one pub scene where Jon and Liz have a beer.

Coarse language

Occasional use of the word ‘butt'.

The movie's message

The message of Garfield 2 is to be happy with what you have and that having material things in life is not as important as being with someone who loves you.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• loyalty
• teamwork.