[The scene starts off on a phone screen, showing an image of Garfield, a grumpy, frowning, orange tabby cat, and his owner, Jon Arbuckle, wearing sweaters with their faces on them.] [first lines; offscreen]
OK, it's time to eat. [types in the password 061978 on the phone, unlocking it] Let's see, open the app. [opens the Mamma Leoni’s app to make his order] I’m gonna get a double pepperoni pizza, uh, an order of breadsticks, and...Well, lasagna. Yeah. Ooh! A new item alert? Jalapeño breadstick quick bites. Huh. It might be nice to add something in the salad family. And do I want dessert? Oooh! [chuckles] I’m gonna be naughty! Butterscotch budino. OK, I’m gonna have five. [The app screen slides to the side to show the orange tabby cat himself.] Delivery? Goes without saying...[hits NOW] now, please.
Mamma Leoni's App: Mama mia!
Alright. That oughta hold me 'til breakfast. [notices the audience] Oh, hey! Are you guys early or am I late? No matter. I have got a real treat for you today. [Odie, a yellow dog with brown ears and Garfield's friend, jumps and barks excitedly.] No, not a treat for you. [Odie whines sadly; sighs] OK. [He gives Odie a biscuit and he eats it before licking him happily, much to his disgust.] Anyway, about that treat...[pushes Odie down] Can I just say, you will not be disappointed. [laughs] It’s a story about me...[the doorbell rings.]...that no one’s ever heard before featuring someone in my life you’ve never met. I don’t know about you, but color me intrigued. [A drone enters the house, delivering Garfield’s order.] Oh ho yeah! Drone delivery. Welcome to the future. [opens the box for his double pepperoni pizza] You know, to really understand everything, I’m gonna have to take you back to where it all began. [notices a small basil on his pizza] Don’t want anything to take away from the flavour of cheese. [flicks it off, stretches his mouth open, places the pizza in, and munches down] And like every great story, it all started... [He moves his mouth in a sucking position near his drink. Odie tips the cup to Garfield’s mouth and Garfield sips his drink.] ...on a dark and stormy night.
[Odie holds up a cardboard thunderstorm cloud and mimics thunder and lightning. Cut to black. In a flashback, a silhouetted cat looks over at something.]
Wait here, Junior. I'll be right back.
[Garfield, as a kitten, looks up at the silhouetted cat, who walks away, then hides. Garfield, sitting in a crate, reaches out with his little paws as if motioning for the cat to not leave him. Moments later, rain pours. Garfield looks over the side, seeing that the cat isn't coming back. He jumps back in fear as he hears various noises, then covers his face protectively. Suddenly, he sniffs the air, then spots an Italian restaurant called Mamma Leoni’s across the street. Garfield watches as Vito, through the window, holding two steaming pizzas on trays. Jon sits alone on a table. Garfield glances over the path where the cat went, then runs out of the crate. He crosses the street towards the restaurant as three cars pass by, narrowly missing him. Reaching the window, Garfield sniffs the air again. Inside, Jon sits at his table as Vito serves him pepperoni pizza. Grabbing a slice, he sees one family playing Heads Up on their phone.]
Jon [A girl feeds her brother, Jake, a meatball. Jon smiles, then frowns and sighs sadly. He sets his head on his hand. He opens his mouth to take a bite of the slice, then gets startled when a thud is heard. Garfield, with his face pressed against the window, stares at the pizza, then pulls it back as Jon stares at him.]
Aww! [leans in, then holds out a finger] Hi there, little buddy! Hi! [Garfield paws at his finger, then looks over at the pizza and licks the glass. Jon glances over to see no one coming, then secretly opens the window to let Garfield in. Garfield, despite his small size, hops into his hand. As the duo stare at each other, Garfield licks his cheek as Jon chuckles, then rubs his back on his chin while purring. Jon sets his little friend on the table beside the pizza.] Are you hungry, little guy? [As Garfield nods in agreement, Jon feeds him a pepperoni, then chuckles and offers another.] Do you want a little more? [Suddenly, Garfield quickly eats the entire pizza, then the slice that Jon was about to eat, then finally eats the pepperoni.] Whoa! You are a hungry little guy. [sees Vito coming, then grabs a menu, hiding Garfield behind it]
V Vito
That was a quick dinner, Signore Jon. You must’ve been very hungry. [chuckles as Garfield peeks out from under Jon's wrist, but Jon himself pushes him back behind the menu] Can I bring you anything else?
Jon Uh, yes. [looks at the menu as Garfield rubs his paw on a picture of a single piece of lasagna]
M Musician
[offscreen]
Grazie! Grazie! Thank you very much!
Jon Some...lasagna?
V Vito
Si. Lasagna for one.
Jon Uh, yeah. [looks at the menu again as Garfield points to a picture of a 6-piece family-styled lasagna] You know what? No. Uh, make it family-style.
Jon [as Vito walks away]
To go, please, Vito.
M Musician
[offscreen]
Okay! Everybody! You all know this one!
Jon [lifts the menu to find Garfield gone]
Huh? What? Where'd he go? [he spots Garfield slurping spaghetti and meatballs as a birthday party commences.]
P Patrons
[offscreen]
Hey!
M Musician
[offscreen]
Stand up and sing. Join us.
Jon Oh, no! ["Tarantella Napoletana" plays as he moves through the crowd.] Oh, no. Excuse me. Pardon me. [He moves under another table, and tries to grab Garfield, but finds marinara sauce on his fingers. He notices Garfield eating cookies. As he goes to eat a slice of pizza, Jon grabs him, still on the plate, and hides him behind his back as Vito walks by with a big birthday cake. Once Vito is gone, Jon pulls out the plate from behind his back, but once again, Garfield has disappeared. He spots him walking through the birthday cake with a big bite on it. Jon scrambles on all fours to search for him.]
M Maria
[offscreen]
Jon! Take-out for Jon! [As Jon looks around, Maria comes in with a to-go box for Jon.] Your take-out is ready, Signore Jon.
Jon Yes.
M Maria
One familia-style lasagna to go! [opens the box, revealing Garfield eating on the top middle of the family-style lasagna] You eat alone too much, Jon.
Jon Yeah.
M Maria
You should get on the dating apps.
Jon No, I'm good, thanks.
M Maria
There's Bumble, Tinder, Gluten-Free Singles...
Jon Oh, really?
M Maria
Hot Sauce Passions.
Jon No, I could never.
M Maria
And you should spend serious money on premium memberships.
Jon Bye! [quickly leaves the restaurant, and the lid pops open, with Garfield still in the box] Huh? Oh, hey. [chuckles as he sets the box down on the ground, and puts Garfield on the lid] Well, that was an interesting dinner… that you had. Well, I guess, um...this is where we say goodbye. [Garfield **** his head.] Oh, you’re really cute, but I can’t have pets in my apartment. So...I’ll see you around, OK? Go on. [As Garfield sniffles sadly, he cries, shedding a lot of tears.] Oh, no. No, no, no, don’t cry. Don’t cry. [The tears make a river that leads to a storm drain. Garfield waves goodbye to him.] Oh. Oh! No, no, no, no, no! No! Oh, no! Oh, no! [scrambles toward Garfield, and grabs him, just as the box enters the storm drain. He then stands up while holding the tiny pint-sized kitten in both hands] You don’t have a home, do you?
[Garfield looks away sadly as if to say, "No.", then he stares at Jon, blinking his big green eyes. Jon smiles, and so does Garfield, who kisses him on the nose. Jon smiles as he nuzzles his little friend. Garfield pulls the screen up, bringing us back to the present while eating some breadsticks.]
And that's how I adopted Jon.
[Odie facepalms and brings down the screen to show the title card of the film.]
[We then cut to a little house in the suburbs.] [voiceover]
So I moved Jon out of his apartment to this nice, little two-bed, two-bath in the suburbs. [We see a time passage of Jon putting down pet stuff while Garfield eats pizza; voiceover] As soon as he understood the ground rules, well, let’s just say, we were living the dream. [Cut to Garfield riding through the wind; voiceover] And once we were settled in, I even let Jon get a pet. [Zoom out to see him riding on top of Odie, as a puppy. They run around the house while Jon reads “The Great Catsby.” Then, they ride atop a robotic vacuum with Garfield drinking from a cup and Odie gnawing on a bone. Cut to Young Garfield pulling down the table covers to bring down two glass cookie jars. Garfield ends up inside one while Odie’s head is in another; voiceover] Odie, became my most trusted ally. He was kind, gentle, and most importantly, my unpaid intern. [Odie bounces on Garfield’s tummy and steals a burger from Jon. Garfield removes the lettuce, and eats the burger before giving the lettuce to Odie, who looks at the viewers as if saying, "Seriously?". Later, as Jon is drawing, Garfield is bungee jumping outside the house. Each time Jon checks, he sees nothing. Then, as Garfield blows raspberries at Jon, we see the bungee rope being Odie’s tongue. Cut to see Odie eating from Garfield’s food bowl. Then, time passes and the two grow up while eating and watching TV with Jon. Voiceover] Oh, yeah. As you can see, life here is pretty near perfect. [Cut close to him; clears his throat and looks at the audience] Well, yeah, except for...
Jon [The word "MONDAYS" in giant red capital letters suddenly slams down in front of a white background. Jon opens the curtains.]
Time to go to the vet!
LW Liz Wilson
[Cut to a vet appointment, Garfield is set on a scale while Jon looks lovingly at Liz. The scale breaks beneath the cat and Liz gets out an intercom.] [over PA]
We’re gonna need the big scale!
[to the viewers]
Does she need to announce it to the whole office?
[The montage of Garfield causing bad luck every Monday plays. Garfield hanging on a tree branch before a strong wind blows him off, into the house, and out through a window. Garfield getting scared by a spider, a pie thrown at Garfield’s face, Odie licking him, his ice cream dropping to the ground when he licks it, and his toothpaste squirting too much. Then, Jon puts on his protective gear to give Garfield a bath.]
[as he's being bathed]
No! Please! No! Ow, it’s so hot! Ow, it’s really hurting! Ow, ow, ow!
[Soon, Jon dries him up and he is all poofy. Odie drops his ball in shock and Garfield angrily glares at him, while growling in anger. The montage ends, where Garfield grumpily shredding the "MONDAYS" paper in a paper shredder.] [to the viewers; grumpily]
And that’s why we should go from Sunday to Tuesday. [pause] OK. Where were we?
[On the next day, Garfield walks up to Jon, who is sleeping in bed.]
Wakie, wakie, eggs and bakey! [lies down on Jon’s face] Good morning!
[In the kitchen, Jon puts some vegetables in a blender. As Odie barks for Jon to pet him each time, Garfield secretly puts in some bacon, a T-bone steak, three pizza slices, two pies, and a piece of cake in the blender. Jon closes the lid, and starts blending. Garfield walks on the ceiling, and opens his mouth. The blender shakes and smoothie bursts out, shocking Jon and Odie. Garfield lands down on the counter, having eaten the smoothie. Cut to Jon reading Romeo and Juliet until Odie pushes in Garfield with a fancy chair.]
Jon What? Where’d you get that chair?
RC Rom-Com Woman
[Garfield presses a red button on the arm and the chair becomes a recliner with stereo systems. Odie brings in a tray of food and a TV. The TV set shows Catflix, a streaming service that shows cat videos. One shows a cat playing the piano. Jon is in confusion while Garfield eats some popcorn. Suddenly, the channel switches to a romantic comedy film.] [on TV]
I think I was meant to be here tonight because I was meant to meet you.
RC Rom-Com Man
[on TV]
I think we were meant to be.
RC Rom-Com Woman
[on TV]
That’s what I meant to say.
RC Rom-Com Man
[on TV]
You had me at the word “meant.” [they both kiss]
FB Fitness Bike Instructor
[Garfield sees that Odie has the remote. Jon and Odie cry some tears of joy at the scene while Garfield is not amused. Cut to Jon riding a fitness bike.] [on phone]
We're going to ride like the wind! Faster! Harder! More exciting!
[Jon pedals faster and faster until he slumps over, exhausted. Garfield comes in and puts a slice of pepperoni pizza in Jon’s mouth.]
Odie! Yeah, can you put this back to normal? [to Jon] There you go. Just let the pepperoni’s healing powers work its magic.
[Odie hangs some shirts on the fitness bike. Then, Jon is asleep by his drawing board. Garfield points at this then rolls Jon over to bed. He positions him right, puts a blanket over him, adds an eye mask and Sony headphones, and gives him Pooky. As Garfield leaves, he sees Odie having watched him rest his owner.]
You saw nothing. [jumps off the bed as Odie sleeps with Jon, he turns off the light]
[Garfield, Vic, and Odie walk outside the abandoned mall. Garfield is angry.]
I can't believe this is happening! I don't see you for years! And when I do, you're pulling me into a life of crime.
I had this reunion playing differently in my head, too.
That's the difference between us, because I never wanted to see you again!
I totally understand your anger, but give me a chance to explain. You'll see, I'm not the bad guy you think I am.
A good guy doesn't leave his kid in an alley!
[angrily]
IT WAS EXACTLY LIKE THAT!
No, it wasn't. Let me tell you what… [But Garfield doesn't want to listen to Vic.]
[furious]
No, no! Ah! I don't want to hear it! This whole thing with Jinx?! This is your mess, not mine! Come on, Odie. [Unfortunately, he is stopped by Roland and Nolan.]
[They hide behind a stop sign with Nolan giving Garfield a "We’re watching you" gesture.] [groans in frustration]
Is today a Monday?! ‘Cause it feels an awful lot like a Monday.
Look, I know this isn't ideal, but we have to do this. [as Garfield growls] So, let's just try and make the best of our time together.
[furious]
Our time together?! What are you talking about?! Once we get this milk, I want you out of my life. Forever!
Alright, just relax. Lactose Farms is nothing but a sleepy little mom-and-pop dairy. This will be a quick grab-and-go. You’ll be back home before you know it. [laughs]
[sighs]
How do we even get to Lactose Farms? It’s way out in the country.
Well, if jumping the train is too hard, just say it.
Exactly! [laughs as he slaps Garfield to the ground] This is gonna be fun! [flexes his arms]
Jon [The next morning at the house, Jon walks down the stairs.] [yawns]
Garfield? Odie? Hello? [notices the refrigerator door left open] Garfield, how many times have I told you to close the refrigerator door? [spots some food still on the floor when Garfield and Odie were kidnapped by Roland and Nolan] Wait. There’s food on the floor. [gasps] He's never left food on the floor. Garfield? [checks the halls] Garfield? [checks the closet] Garfield?! [checks under the couch] Garfield? [checks out the pet door] Garfield? [checks from the chimney] Garfield? [steps out the door] GARFIELD!!!!
[In the pound truck, Garfield and Odie sulk about their failed mission after Vic abandoned them.] [heartbroken]
I can't believe he did that. He ran out and left me...again. I thought he changed, but it was...it was a lie. All of it...[sighs] How could I have been so stupid? [Fade to he's inside a cage in the pound.]
M Maurice
Oh, come on, kid. Don’t beat yourself up. Vic, man. We’ve all been burned by Vic.
O Olivia
[The other caged cats grumble and agree.]
Oh, yeah, the one thing about Vic you can count on is that you can’t count on him.
M Maurice
Yeah, I tell you about it. Long story short, we all used to run in a pack until we had to kick him off the crew.
O Olivia
[The cats chatter in agreement.]
Like I said, couldn’t count on him.
S Snickers
He’d leave in the middle of the job just to go see his kid.
M Maurice
Yeah. He said he wanted to check up on him. Make sure he was doing okay.
O Olivia
But get this, he never actually visits. He’d just sit across the street from his kid’s house in a giant oak tree.
O Olivia
He watched that kid eat and eat...
C Cats
...And eat and eat and eat...
S Snickers
He put a notch in the bark. Every time he was there.
[sarcastic]
Oh, yeah. Sure he did.
O Olivia
And he’d go every Sunday night rain or shine. Said that it was his kid's...
C Cats
Family dinner night.
Okay, hate to tell you guys, I guaranteed that never happened. Okay? You all fell for another one of Vic’s lies. We all have ‘cause that’s what he does best. [Just then, Odie arrives outside Garfield’s cage.] Odie! Odie! How’d you get out? Quick! Pick the lock on my cage!
Jon [Jon arrives at the pound, having found his two pets at last.]
Garfield! There you are!
Jon! Oh, take me away from all of this! You can’t imagine what I’ve been through!
FP Female Pound Worker
You want this one, too?
Jon Uh, yes, I do.
FP Female Pound Worker
You sure he's yours? He didn't have a tag.
Jon Uh-huh. Yeah. Oh, he has a tag. [shows her the collar and tag on Garfield’s neck]
[dumbfounded]
I have a collar and a tag? How long have I had those?
FP Female Pound Worker
OK, I’m just gonna need you to hold…
Jon [snaps]
I WILL NOT HOLD! I AM DONE HOLDING! THE JON WHO WAS ON HOLD IS DEAD! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!
[Soon, Garfield and Odie are back home!]
That’s right! I’m back, baby! [rushes over to his favorite chair] I was just talking about you, wasn’t I? [presses the button to put it in recliner mode] Oh, I’ve missed you, too. [turns on the TV to watch Catflix, then rushes over to Pooky and his bed] Pooky! I have a lot to tell you. You’re never gonna believe it. Crazy stuff happened. I slept outside twice! I know. Oh, and I made you this commemorative pin. [gets out a pin and puts it on Pooky]
Jon [offscreen]
Dinner time!
Talk later! [kisses Pooky and runs off]
Jon [Garfield gets on the stair railing, slides down, jumps off, and floats down with an umbrella. He dances over to the dinner table, where Jon serves up lasagna for dinner. Garfield takes in the smell and Jon grates cheese on top of the food.]
Say when?
Never, Jon! Bury me in cheese!
Jon I have two more in the freezer. Let me know when you want them. [timer dings] I’m gonna go check on dessert. [runs off to check on dessert]
Oh, I apologize in advance. [gets out a fork and a knife] The eating you are about to see will not be pretty. And if you have young children, this would be a good time for them to leave the room.
O Olivia
[Garfield prepares to dig in until he notices a giant oak tree across the house.] [voiceover]
He’d just sit across the street from his kid’s house in a giant oak tree.
[He gets up from his seat and walks away. His stomach growls and tries to steer him back to the table.]
I know, I know. We’re coming back. [his stomach growls.] I just need to check something out first. [He leaves the house and walks to the oak tree, causing a bit of traffic along the way.]
S Snickers
[voiceover]
He put a notch in the bark. Every time he was there.
[He climbs up the tree and looks around for a notch.]
He left a notch. [sighs] Yeah, right. [He looks up to see one notch followed by tons of notches scratched everywhere on the tree.] He was here. He saw me grow up.
[Odie barks from below and Garfield uses his claws to slide down the tree.]
Oh. Ow. Wow. That really stings. I don’t know why I didn’t think it would. Give me a second. [gets off the tree and hugs Odie] Vic loves us! Me first, of course, but then you too, but me a lot. At first. [Odie scoffs.] Wait, wait, wait, wait, but if he loves me, us, why would he let me, us, get captured at the dairy? Unless...[gasps] he wanted us to get captured! [As he walks down the street, he causes more traffic.]
Yes! He knew that Jinx wasn’t going to let him off the hook, but if we got caught, we get sent to the pound, and Jon would come and get us! [Odie gets him off the road.] Don’t you see, Odie? He was trying to save us!
D Driver
[offscreen]
Losers!
We have to go save my dad.
Jon [Back in the kitchen, Jon wheels in a big candy volcano.]
And here’s your favorite dessert, Mount Candy-toa! [notices they’re gone] Uh, guys? [He sees the two pets leaving and the volcano erupts, covering the entire kitchen and himself in candy.] Oh, come on!
[The next morning, Garfield, Odie, and Vic arrive at Jon’s house.]
Uh...[sighs] Well, this is us.
Right. Your home. I just..
I just wanted to say I’m sorry.
I’m sorry. What are you sorry for?
Oh. Well, thanks. Well, I just wanted to apologize to you for…
Everything bad that happened to us the last three days?
You know, you had your hand in a few bad decisions back there, too, but...[sighs] Yeah, I’m sorry for dragging you into my world. This is where you belong here. Here with Jon and...[to Odie] what’s your name again? Odor?
Huh?! [growls then pants happily before hugging Vic]
Yeah, yeah. I mean, unless you want to come in.
I don’t know. I don’t think that would work. I’m...I’m an outdoor cat.
Right. Sure, sure. No, I just...I figured...
No, no, no, I get it. But you know, I got this thing on the other side of town I gotta go do, so...
No, I’m very busy, too. Yeah.
You know where to find me.
In the kitchen. Well, take care. And remember, [imitates Otto] stay out of the pinecone. [He leaves the two alone and Odie barks at Garfield.]
What? You heard him. It’s for the best.
Jon [They go inside the house and reunite with their owner.]
Oh, you’re back! What is going on? Are you okay? I was so worried! I was gonna add more locks to the door. You know, try to keep you in, but then I thought, well, what if they wanted to be outdoor pets? Do you want to be free range? [They shake their heads “no”. Sighs in relief] I really missed you, guys, and I gotta say it’s great to be together again, the whole entire family. You have no idea what the last few days have been like: phone calls and hold times and tears...
[As Jon talks, Odie barks to Garfield.]
Don’t give me that. I asked him to stay. [Odie grumbles.] He wanted to leave. [Odie groans.] You heard him. He said he had to...[Odie growls.] Well, I-I...[Odie growls again; groans] Fine. I’ll be right back. [He heads out of the house.]
Jon Wait! Wait! What?! Am I using trigger words that I’m not aware of? [Odie pats his shoulder.]
[In outside, Garfield running far away and he stops and he look sideways of the neighbourhood, and then Garfield approaches the oak tree where his father is.]
So, you coming in or do we have to bring food up there to you?
I’ll come to you. I just need to finish something up here. [He comes down, Garfield hugs him in embrace, and they head back to the house.]
You know, those notches show how much you love me.
Is that what you think of me?
Nah, I was just counting how many slices of lasagna you ate.
[Last lines; cut to Garfield preparing food.] [voiceover]
My medium is cuisine. My colors are flavors. My palette is my palette, if you will. [Soon, he's done making food. Though it doesn’t look appetizing.] Dinner is served.
[Odie uses a fire extinguisher to put out the flames in the oven.]
Wow, son! I didn’t know you could cook.
Ah, yes. [as he tries to pull out a piece] Pasta is my paint and the dinner plate is my [grunts] canvas. [puts out a piece with a saltshaker in it] Oh, so that’s where that went. [He gives a piece to Vic, who tries it.]
Jon [Garfield serves Odie and Jon a few more pieces.]
Thank you, Garfield. [notices Vic eating up] Uh, is he gonna be coming around for dinner often?
Jon [Odie barks, Jon and Garfield laughing. But suddenly, Jon receives a notification on his phone.]
What? Why do I have a take-out bill for 6,000 drone deliveries?!
[Garfield shushes the audience. We cut to a montage of Vic and Garfield living together. Vic uses a Walmart app to purchase a big chair on wheels to join his son. Then, they eat out food from the fridge. Next, they eat their pizza the same way Garfield did in the opening before picking their teeth clean. At the restaurant, they, along with Odie, disguise themselves to order food. On the bed, Garfield lies on Jon’s face and Vic lies on top of him, breaking the bed down from his weight. Cut to them riding in Jon’s car while sticking their heads out the windows. Jinx is seen doing community service by cleaning up trash. She throws her grabber and helmet down in anger. At Garfield’s birthday party, everyone is invited. Otto, Ethel, Liz, Marla, Vito, Vic’s old cat gang, the token animals, and Roland and Nolan...Even Nermal appears, asking for a slice of cake. Garfield glares at him. Finally, Jon puts up a new, big picture of him and his pets, including Vic.]
