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Grossing a surprising 560-million dollars, this family-friendly 3D comedy was released
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on July 29 to lukewarm reception. No one really asked for a modern remake of the classic animated
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TV show that ended over 20 years ago... but like most Hollywood ideas: if it sells, it
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gets produced. Finally taking the sizable leap from TV star to Movie star, Doogie Howser
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himself, Neil Patrick Harris stars a your everyday generic New York businessman who,
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of course, has a big work deadline coming up that's causing him to be stressed out.
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Matters worsen when our Smurf friends, in attempt to escape from the sorcerer Gargamel,
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their arch-nemesis, accidentally travel through a portal -- taking them away from the tranquil
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sing-a-long beauty of Smurf-village to the loud, and noisy realm of downtown Manhattan.
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Missing from this simple, and rather adorable film is the "fish-out-of-water" transition
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for either Harris's character, or the Smurfs - neither party seems particularly concerned
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or amazed by the existence of the other, even if they briefly try to kill each other when
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first meeting. The interplay between the human actors, and their two-apples-tall CGI counterparts
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is surprisingly impressive, save for a few moments when direction physical interaction
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is called for... when bad memories of Space Jam and Who Framed Roger Rabbit come flooding
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back. Obviously designed for children of all ages to enjoy, the plot is an uncomplicated
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one - with nothing getting in the way of it's predictable conclusion. There are some more
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heart-felt messages here, and lessons to be learned, but on the whole, "The Smurfs" is
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just a playful romp from everyone's favorite blue friends exploring the big city. Traveling
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by way of Taxi-cab roof, the fearsome Smurfs use the camouflage of their surroundings to
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keep from being spotted - cleverly hiding up against an ad for the Blue Man Group. Besides
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slight chuckle-inducing jokes like that one, there's not much here for adults... with most
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the funniest humor coming from Hank Azaria's over-the-top make-up covered portrayal of
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the bumbling Gargemel... who finds himself on the receiving end of at least a dozen pratfalls
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and slapstick punch lines. This is a friendly, innocent, and delightful film kids will really
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enjoy - but for those of older than 10... there unfortunately isn't much here to classify
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this as a good film. That said, it's far from bad either... just another boring, dime-a-dozen
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film from the "remake or adaptation" department in Hollywood. "The Smurfs", a "Family friendly
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laughs, but dull." That was my review, now let's read some of yours from the YouTube
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comments.
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Here's the rate-o-matic to rank "The Smurfs", a FIVE and a FOUR. This was a fun film that
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I enjoyed... but it's doubtful I'll watch it again, or recommend it to anyone who's
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graduated from grade-school... I thought it was ALRIGHT. You accepted the film for what
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it was, recognizing some of the better elements, as well as a hum-drum plot, your reviews averaged
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to a MEH.