Inspector Gadget (film)

Inspector Gadget
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Kellogg
Produced by	Roger Birnbaum Andy Heyward Jordan Kerner
Screenplay by	Kerry Ehrin Zak Penn
Story by	Dana Olsen Kerry Ehrin
Based on	Characters Andy Heyward Jean Chalopin Bruno Bianchi
Starring	Matthew Broderick Rupert Everett Joely Fisher Michelle Trachtenberg Dabney Coleman with D.L. Hughley as 'Gadgetmobile'
Music by	John Debney
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Editing by	Alan Cody Thom Noble Gerald B. Greenberg (Uncredited)
Studio	Caravan Pictures DIC Entertainment
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)	July 23, 1999 (1999-07-23)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$90 million[1]
Box office	$134,403,112[1]

Inspector Gadget is a 1999 American live-action comedy film loosely based on the 1983 animated cartoon series Inspector Gadget. It starred Matthew Broderick as the title character, along with Rupert Everett as Dr. Claw, Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny, and Dabney Coleman as Chief Quimby. Two new characters were introduced, Brenda Bradford (played by Joely Fisher) and the Gadgetmobile (voiced by D.L. Hughley). The film tells the story of how Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw came to be in the cartoon.

The film was produced by Caravan Pictures and DIC Entertainment and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Los Angeles, California, with the ice castle-like main tower of Pittsburgh's PPG Place playing a central role. This was the last film produced by Caravan Pictures before it absorbed into Spyglass Entertainment.

The film gained a cult following and was followed by the 2003 direct-to-video sequel "Inspector Gadget 2".

Plot

John Brown (Matthew Broderick) is a security guard for a science lab operated by robotics expert Brenda Bradford (Joely Fisher) in Riverton, Ohio. He lives with his 10-year-old niece, Penny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and their dog, Brain. He hopes to be a police officer, but is denied from the force by Chief Quimby (Dabney Coleman). The multi-millionaire tycoon Sanford Scolex (Rupert Everett) attacks the lab, stealing valuable equipment for the "Gadget Program" and killing Brenda's father (Rene Auberjonois) in the process. John, who is smitten with her, gives chase despite his co-worker Thelma (Frances Bay) warning him that the chase wouldn't end well and trying to convince him to lay off by telling him he's off duty at the moment (he lets her know he's always on duty). The ensuing car crash brings a confrontation with Scolex, who uses a victory cigar explosive to blow up John and his beloved Chevette, leaving him for dead. But in the fiery blast, a bowling ball in the back seat of his car flies into the air and through the sunroof of Scolex's limo, landing directly on and rapidly smashing his left hand. John is rushed to intensive care by Brenda.

John is rebuilt using electronic parts and is dubbed "Inspector Gadget". He is given lessons by a meditating guru at the lab in relaxing his body and getting a firm grip on the workings of his gadgets, which ends in failure when he accidentally grasps the guru's testicles with a little too much force. Despite some previous success in capturing two criminals, he is assigned with many community service jobs, such as crossing guard, litter patrol, and rescuing kittens. Meanwhile, Scolex's assistant Kramer (Andy Dick) builds a new, mechanical claw to replace his hand, and Scolex renames himself "Dr. Claw". Unlike the original cartoon series, his face is visible. He then tries using the stolen equipment to move a robot, but fails. When Sykes (Michael G. Hagerty) calls it a lemon, he has him put it on (at maximum voltage). But this fails too and he concludes that he needs Brenda's help. He hires her as his robotics specialist (expressing lust for her in the process), and is amused to discover that John is the "lucky duck they plucked for the Gadget Program." Later, he gets a copy of Gadget's chip and inserts it into the earlier robot, which he names RoboGadget.

John investigates Scolex, but while Gadget sees a moisture alarm, he overlooks an audio one and is captured in the process. After informing him about his plans, Dr. Claw takes his control chip and destroys it, leaving him "dead". He then sends RoboGadget to destroy the city. While Sykes dumps Gadget's body in the junkyard, Brenda discovers through information given to her by RoboBrenda (a robot clone of herself, also sent to replace her) that Dr. Claw murdered her father. She and Penny race to save John. They discover them in the junkyard, and after Brenda kisses his cheek, he miraculously returns to life; showing that even though he is part machine, he still has a human heart.

After a chase through the city between the Gadgetmobile (voiced by D.L. Hughley) and Dr. Claw's car, John battles RoboGadget on the Roberto Clemente Bridge. RoboGadget, despite his gadgets being more war machine rather than detective work, quite literally loses his head (it falls off after John pulls a pin out of the back of RoboGadget's neck), and he tosses it in the river. Activating the "Go Go Gadget Chopper", he flies to the roof of Scolex Industries, where Dr. Claw prepares to make his escape with Brenda when Gadget comes around. While the helicopter hat is disabled and Gadget is lifted over a high drop, he launches the inside of a pen into the helicopter's cockpit, hitting the shutdown button on Dr. Claw's claw and crushing the controls. Brenda and Gadget crash to the plaza below, where police await to arrest him for all of RoboGadget's crimes. Dr. Claw tries to escape, but is caged in by the GadgetMobile. Sykes, a confused minion brought to the light by Penny, confesses alongside her that RoboGadget was impersonating the real Gadget. John is made a hero in Riverton and earns Chief Quimby's respect. As Brenda and Gadget walk away, Dr. Claw yells out, "Arrivederci, Gadget! This is not good-bye. I'll get you next time, Gadget! I'll get you!" The film closes with Brenda kissing Gadget, with fireworks coming from his right foot as a sign of arousal, and with the Gadgetmobile chasing a red Volkswagen.

The credits show RoboBrenda doing a crazed aerobics class, the headless RoboGadget running around town, Sykes being congratulated at a minion recovery group, Penny speaking to Brain (when he responds, he uses Don Adams' voice), and the Gadgetmobile's computer screen thanking the audience for watching his movie, even though they called it Inspector Gadget. He says things are working out with the red VW, whom he married at a drive-thru chapel. He's also expecting a sub-compact he's thinking of calling, "The Love Bug", which is in no way a plug for the Walt Disney Company, although he's sure the little one will say, "I'm going to Disneyland!", when he's old enough. Lastly, he asks everyone not to leave the theater just yet, as all the people in the credits make him look good.

Cast

• Matthew Broderick as both John Brown/Inspector Gadget and RoboGadget
• Rupert Everett as Sanford Scolex/Dr. Claw
• Joely Fisher as both Dr. Brenda Bradford and RoboBrenda
• Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny Brown
• D. L. Hughley as the voice of the Gadgetmobile
• Dabney Coleman as Chief Quimby
• Cheri Oteri as Mayor Wilson
• Andy Dick as Kramer
• Michael G. Hagerty as Sykes
• René Auberjonois as Dr. Artemus Bradford
• Don Adams as the voice of "Brain"
• Frances Bay as Thelma
• J.P. Manoux as the Mayor's assistant
• Brian George as the Sore Guru

During the "Minions Anonymous" scene in the credits, the henchmen include Mr. T and Richard Kiel (who is credited as the "Famous Bad Guy with Silver Teeth", in reference to his role of James Bond's enemy Jaws), as well as Richard Lee-Sung as the "Famous Villain with Deadly Hat", Bobby Bell as the "Famous Identifier of Sea Planes", Hank Barrera as the "Famous Native American Sidekick", and Keith Morrison as the "Famous Assistant to Dr. Frankensomething"

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 21%, based on 62 reviews, with the consensus "Despite an abundance of eyecandy, the film doesn't amount to much."^[2] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times stated that it "wastes a lot of good talent".^[3] Many fans^[who?] of the cartoon series felt the film itself was far darker than the original series, which was always light-hearted in tone. Some examples are Scolex committing murder, later electrocuting one of his minions with an electronic helmet (although the latter had a slight comic effect) and killing Inspector Gadget (although he later comes back to life). Fans were also enraged when Dr. Claw reveals himself in the movie.^[4]

Despite the negative reviews, the film was a moderate box office success with a worldwide gross of $134.4 million worldwide^[1] on a budget of $75 million. In the UK, it grossed just over £7 million, with a top 10 box office chart run of 1-2-2-2-3-6-8-8-8.

The Gadgetmobile

The Gadgetmobile, designed by Brenda Bradford, is based on a 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible, and has an artificial intelligence with a male persona. Among other things, "he" can camouflage himself, has a radar system to track Gadget's location (and other people as well), can extend his tires upwards, has retractable jail bars in his back seat for transporting criminals, and has a powerful engine he keeps in his back trunk. His artificial intelligence also has a laid-back personality. The Gadgetmobile openly breaks the law constantly (he is a particular fan of backturns), but claims it's okay: "Speed limits are for cars, not the Gadgetmobile." Comedian D.L. Hughley provides his voice.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film contains the single "I'll Be Your Everything" by the boy band Youngstown.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Inspector Gadget (1999) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=inspectorgadget.htm. Retrieved March 5, 2011. 
2. ^ "Inspector Gadget (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inspector_gadget/. Retrieved March 23, 2011. 
3. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (July 23, 1999). "FILM REVIEW; The Adventures of a Justice-Seeking Gizmo". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/23/movies/film-review-the-adventures-of-a-justice-seeking-gizmo.html?scp=4&sq=inspector%20gadget&st=cse. Retrieved August 14, 2010. 
4. ^ Roger Ebert (July 23, 1999). "Inspector Gadget". rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990723/REVIEWS/907230302/1023. 

External links

• Inspector Gadget at the Internet Movie Database
• Inspector Gadget at AllRovi
• Inspector Gadget at Box Office Mojo
• Inspector Gadget at Rotten Tomatoes