Reviewers from "The San Francisco Chronicle" and "The Boston Globe" commented on Azaria's "overacting" in the role of Gargamel. More positive reaction came from Scott Bowles of "USA Today" called Azaria the "human standout"; Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" felt he suffered the "greatest disservice" of the film's cast due to a poor script. Azaria noted in an interview with "The A.V. Club" that "The Smurfs" and "Night at the Museum" were films he agreed to do primarily for the money, but that "I won't even do that unless I think it will at least be fun to do...I really try to throw myself into it, figure out the funniest, cleverest way to get the material over, and make it fun to do and fun to watch." Azaria reprised his role in the 2013 sequel "The Smurfs 2". In 2016, Azaria starred in "" with Richard Gere.