The Smurfs 2011

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Pop singer Katy Perry's Smurfette faces award questions about being a rare female smurf, and blurts out, "I kissed a Smurf and I liked it." Read more

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: ...the adults who take [the kids] to see the movie won't feel too good about themselves, or their existences, or the state of life on the planet, as the lights go up. Read more

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: On a hot summer day, "The Smurfs" is a decent enough excuse to haul the little ones into an air-conditioned theater. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Why does the villain Gargamel have a name that sounds like a sore-throat product? Why are there countless male Smurfs and only one female? (The mind boggles.) Why do they only know one song, and why is it so irritating? So many questions. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Actual kids may find this fun, but for adults, watching The Smurfs may feel a little too much like trying to wrangle an overcrowded kiddie birthday party. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: In all, the worst parts of "The Smurfs'' can probably be summed up in two words: Smurf rap. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Smurfs are the Barneys of the fantasy world. Read more

Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: The Smurfs may be blue, but their movie is decidedly green, recycling discarded bits from other celluloid Happy Meals like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, and Hop into something half animated, half live action, and all careful studio calculation. Read more

Laremy Legel, Film.com: The Smurfs ends up being just below average, it won't give you nightmares, and small ones might dig it. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: For all the digitally enhanced Smurfness, the results are remarkably mirthless. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Even Neil Patrick Harris, who has proved he can save just about any sinking ship (see prime-time awards shows such as the Emmys or Tonys), cannot make this boat float. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: That two sequels have been announced is terrifying. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Director Raja Gosnell also made "Scooby-Doo" and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." At least for families, this is a bit smurfing better than those. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: [A] relentlessly witless and cynical children's movie packed with potty jokes, product plugs and double-entendres along the lines of "What the Smurf?" Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: A better movie than anyone could have possibly expected, thanks in large part to an honest effort by Harris in a thankless role. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "The Smurfs" has brains, heart and style, which will endear it to adults as well as young viewers. Read more

Jody Mitori, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 'The Smurfs" is a lot like the characters' theme song: sweet, repetitive and grating. Read more

Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times: It's raw and mean-spirited, with too many of the Smurf word substitutions more naughty than nice ("Who Smurfed?" or "Where the Smurf are we?"). That's Smurfed up. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: The Smurfs mostly takes place in a grown-up world of cosmetics advertising and expectant parents. Without a child character to interpret and join the action, it's a pretty dull way to introduce young viewers to the new blue crew. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: Does for children's entertainment what lead paint does for children's toys. Read more

David Jenkins, Time Out: To play The Smurfs Drinking Game you will need: Two 500cl bottles of Blue Bols (per player), one white sleeping cap, ample powder-blue face paint and too much spare time. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: Kids are sure to find it smurf-errific, smurf-ilicious or just plain smurfy. Adults will happily settle for smurf-ectly inoffensive. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: There are a handful of genuinely sweet scenes in Smurfs promptly undone by adult actors and filmmakers, who must believe that the little blue troublemakers couldn't maintain a film on their own. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Adorable and annoying, patently unnecessary yet kinda sweet, it's a calculated commercial enterprise with little soul but an appreciable amount of heart. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: Gosnell directs as if every scene must be either a nauseating roller-coaster ride or a syrupy melodrama. Read more

Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: I wouldn't smurf Gosnell's 'The Smurfs' on my smurfiest enemy. Read more