“Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” hits theaters Aug. 19, with an infrequently used gimmick: the scratch and sniff card.
The stinky scents on the card correspond to on-screen numbers related to something in the scene that smells good (or bad). Of course, given the raucous kid-movie vibe, and a trailer that promises flatulent dogs used as spy gadgets, don’t be shocked that a stinky time awaits.
If only Hollywood could employ aroma technology for other movies that really deserved it. Like...
'Julie & Julia'
You could skip over the scene where Meryl Streep chops a hundred onions and instead open your nose to every single other slow-roasted dish prepped by her and Amy Adams. If only concession stands sold Boeuf Bourguignon alongside the Junior Mints.
'The Help'
The sweetly delicious smells of southern cooking and magnolia trees provide a gentle counterpoint to this emotionally cathartic story of resistance in the deeply segregated American South of the early 1960s. And no, the movie’s “revenge pie” wouldn’t be part of the experience. The less said about that little spoiler the better.
'Fast Five'
Christmas for gearheads and action junkies. Anybody who doesn’t think gasoline and tire rubber smells great is lying.
But just like 3-D, Hollywood would inevitably overdo it. You’d want to hold your nose through…
'The Change-Up'
It starts with messy baby diapers and takes sour left turns into rancid leftovers rotting in refrigerators, filthy bachelor pads and the unintended bathroom consequences of spicy Thai food. Yes, it’s as ugly as it sounds.
'Rise of the Planet of The Apes'
At least in “Zookeeper” all the strong-smelling zoo animals lived in ventilated, open-air environments. This movie populates an entire locked-down monkey jail with dozens of apes, orangutans and gorillas. Bad idea.
'Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'
In real life, those old-school pirates went months without bathing. And everybody in this movie looks like they went overboard on the authenticity front, especially Johnny Depp.
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Dave White is a critic for Movies.com.