Inspector Gadget (1999)

Directed by David Kellogg
Written by Kerry Ehrin, Zak Penn & Audrey Wells, based on a story by Kerry Ehrin & Dana Olsen
Starring Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher, Andy Dick, Michael G. Hagerty

My Advice: Wait for Cable.

Security guard John Brown (Broderick) is blown up in the line of duty, trying to protect the research and lives of Brenda (Fisher) and her father.  Because Brown is made into kibbles and bits, his job doesn't get done very well, so the research falls into the hands of The Man Who Would Be Claw (Everett).  Now reduced to pieces parts, Brenda brings him back better, stronger, faster than before as the unstoppable (and incompetent) Inspector Gadget!

Yawn.  Other than a wonderfully irreverent opening sequence where Brown saves the world, the film doesn't have much to say for itself.  All of the cast seem to try to have fun in their roles, though they're trapped in a bad cartoon on speed.  Broderick is appropriately oblivious (a dig at the Godzilla film reaches for amusing), Everett is mugging his fool head off, Dabney Coleman (who plays Police Chief Quimby)  looks like he's completely lost, Fred Williamson (who voices the Gadgetmobile) along with Cheri Oteri (who plays the Mayor) are so annoying they can cause migraines.

The main problem with the film is that it stoops so low to hit the little kiddies with humor that it's not even funny in the least to the big people.  How many times during the course of a film can you do a take to the camera, or even smack into the camera lens?  I counted at least six of the latter, and boy it gets old.  What's worse, the plot really is a Playskool version of Robocop combined with The Six Million Dollar Man, and it's not even a good rendition.  The most telling moment of the movie is during the closing credits where Sykes (Hagerty), a Claw henchman, attends a Minion Support Group.  This one joke is funnier than the rest of the film combined.  A sad fact.

And just so you don't think, being a big person, I just don't get a film created for seven-year-olds, I heard one commenting on his way out of the cinema: "I liked Lake Placid better."

Buy the DVD from Amazon!

Discuss the review in the Needcoffee.com Gabfest!

Greetings to our visitors from the IMDB, OFCS, and Rotten Tomatoes!
Stick around and have some coffee!