Inspector Gadget

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Inspector Gadget

PG

Released Jul 23, 1999

1h 17m

Kids & Family

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

18%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

John Brown (Matthew Broderick) is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda (Joely Fisher), a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named "Inspector Gadget" by the press, John -- along with his niece, Penny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.

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Critics Consensus

Despite an abundance of eyecandy, the film doesn't amount to much.

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Mar 22, 2002

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Susan Stark

Detroit News

Although it's quick, mischievous and full of visual trickery, there's not much magic in Inspector Gadget.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Lawrence Van Gelder

New York Times

Watching Inspector Gadget is like watching a human Swiss Army knife for nearly an hour and a half.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...hoist by his own petard as a mechanical failure...

Rated: 1/5

Jan 8, 2022

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Brian Bethune

Maclean's Magazine

Maybe it's the sheer distance from its creative wellspring, but this thingamajig makes for a profoundly stupid viewing experience. Even the filmmakers seemed to have been bored.

Oct 14, 2019

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Michael Scheinfeld

Common Sense Media

Not nearly as good as the TV show.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 2, 2011

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Charlo F

This movie could be good and a Little bit more attached to the original show, but at least they add the why Inspector Gadget is bionic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

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William B

Great classic I used to enjoy back in the day.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/25

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Nicholas W

To be reviewed sooner than later

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/24

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Ed R

Incredibly cheesy and meant for the younger generation.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Dale R

Based off of the 1983 animated television series and starring Matthew Broderick as Inspector Gadget, this movie is a mixed bag. There are a few jokes that landed for me, but most of the comedy didn’t land and a few scenes got me to roll my eyes. I am a fan of the original cartoon series and this doesn’t really follow much of what that had going for it. The basic premise was that Gadget is an incompetent inspector, his dog Brain keeps him alive during investigations and his niece Penny actually solves each case, but makes it look like Gadget does. This movie doesn’t follow that basic premise, instead creating an origin story. The villain, Dr. Claw, never revealed his face in the cartoon, but here he has a prominent role and is played way too over the top by Rupert Everett. The CGI wasn’t that good and the sound effects were dumb. A young child might like this movie, but I can’t recommend it to anyone.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

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Prabudhjeet A

Not a bad movie but not that good. It's not an easy task to adapt but it has its moments.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/05/24

Full Review

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David Kellogg

Director

Matthew Broderick

Officer John Brown

Rupert Everett

Sanford Scolex

Joely Fisher

Dr. Brenda Bradford

Michelle Trachtenberg

Penny

Andy Dick

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24%

33%

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Synopsis

John Brown (Matthew Broderick) is a bumbling but well-intentioned security guard who is badly injured in an explosion planned by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a laboratory, where Brenda (Joely Fisher), a leading robotics surgeon, replaces his damaged limbs with state-of-the-art gadgets and tools. Named "Inspector Gadget" by the press, John -- along with his niece, Penny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new powers to discover who was behind the explosion.

Director: David Kellogg
Producer: Jordan Kerner, Andy Heyward, Roger Birnbaum
Screenwriter: Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin, Bruno Bianchi, Dana Olsen, Kerry Ehrin, Zak Penn
Distributor: American International Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $97.4M
Runtime: 1h 17m
Sound Mix: Surround

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