Not as Smurfy as you’d think; in fact, it’s Smurf-eriffic

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This article was published 29/07/2011 (5273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At the end of the surprisingly sprightly 3-D film The Smurfs, one of the little blue characters — Grouchy Smurf, voiced by George Lopez — says, “I hated this so much less than I expected.”

He’s talking about the adventure, not the film.

It’s not exactly a fair review, but it has some resonance, especially for those of us who grew up with someone who grew up with the irritating theme song (“la la la-la-la-la”), punishing language (“Where the Smurf are we?”), and other childish tics of the TV version of the series.

They’re in the film, as well, but they’re woven into a slightly post-modern take, one in which everyone thinks the song is irritating and people comment on the meaningless use of “Smurf” for everything from magical verb to naughty noun. Broadened into a story that takes the creatures outside their invisible forest and into New York City — where Gargamel, the evil wizard, fits right in with all the other nutty street people — The Smurfs is a happy surprise.

I liked it so much more than I expected.

The Smurfs combines live actors with computer animation, and also adult commentary with childish fun: This is the annotated version of The Smurfs, one in which Gargamel (a gloriously over-the-top performance by Hank Azaria) will look at his evil cat Azrael (authentically played by one Mr. Krinkle) licking its bum, and say, “Would you care for a mint when you’re done?” It’s a joke designed to appeal to young and old, at least if the old is male.

The story is likewise both simple and complex. Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village and six of them wind up in the Big Apple, which is appropriate, because, as followers know, each Smurf is three apples tall (la la la-la-la-la). Each also has a name appropriate to its personality: Along with Grumpy, there’s Clumsy Smurf (Anton Yelchin), Gutsy Smurf (Alan Cumming) and so on, a situation that, combined with their rounded little blue bodies and white hats, makes them walking opportunities for toy merchandising.

The Smurfs wind up in the house of Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) and his pregnant wife Grace (Jayma Mays). She loves the idea of having little blue people around — she eventually bonds with Smurfette (Katy Perry), the one girl among 99 boys, a slightly creepy situation in the view of several characters — but he’s nonplussed. “Do you get your names when you’re born, or after you’ve exhibited certain traits?” he asks, a perennial question — which also applies to the Seven Dwarfs — among adults who allow their thoughts to stray while they keep their kids company in front of the TV.

Harris’s low-key exasperation is ideal for a group as anodyne as the Smurfs. Neil is a vice-president of marketing at a perfume company, and he’s working on a campaign for a new scent, a development that might not immediately engage the primary-school set, but helps give The Smurfs a slightly more worldly tone. They bounce around his office, humming their eternal theme song, while he tries to work, which may also ring some bells for young parents.

The result isn’t a classic — the Smurfs themselves are as one-dimensional as their names — but it’s a pleasant diversion that will keep children amused.

Watching Gargamel getting hit in the butt or one-upped by his animated cat is surefire material, and director Raja Gosnell shows he has learned from his earlier sins (which include Beverly Hills Chihuahua), keeping The Smurfs sharp and fast-moving throughout.

And while kids may not get all the jokes — Smurfette, for instance, saying that she misses everyone in the village, with the possible exception of Passive-Aggressive Smurf — they’ll love watching mom and dad laugh along with them. It’s the Smurfiest movie of the year.

Help.

— Postmedia News

Movie review

The Smurfs