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Directed By
Peter Segal
Written By:
Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember, Mel Brooks, Buck Henry
Cast:
Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, David Koechner, Terry Crews, Ken Davitian, Brad Grunberg, Dwayne Johnson, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence
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Get Smart (2008)
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Movie Review by Ben
June 28th, 2008
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Here we are, another movie based on a hit TV show. And yes, it's another TV show from the past that I never got around to watching. What the hell?! Why the hell do I keep missing these damn shows?! Can't I be able to compare anything to the original? ANYTHING?! DAMN IT!!! THIS IS NOT FAIR AND I'M SICK OF IT! PEOPLE ALL GET TO READ THESE COMIC BOOKS AND SEE THESE TV SHOWS AS A KID AND I DON'T!! EXCUSE ME IF I WAS BUSY WATCHING "AIRWOLF" OR "T.J. HOOKER!!" THOSE WERE GREAT f*ckIN' SHOWS FROM MY DAY...Ahh! That's much better. Just needed to vent my frustrations in regards to all that... What? I need to push the button harder? Oh... I thought the Cone of Silence was working... This is embarrassing.
"Get Smart" is the latest in the never ending trend of bring TV shows to the big screen. Last summer we had "The Simpsons," and now we have the adventures of Maxwell Smart on screen with a bigger budget than any of the episodes of that show combined. Steve Carell takes on the iconic role of Maxwell Smart by doing the stuff Carrel does best... Being Steve Carrel. Now in other movies this might be a problem, but here it doesn't matter because this is a big budget movie that requires Carrel to do what people know him best for. When all is said and done, he is perfectly cast as an agent of Control who has luckily enough been made an agent after he was told that it would never happen.
Quickly, Smart is thrust into action after Control's offices have been destroyed and he has been sent to infiltrate the offices of Control's chief nemesis, KAOS. KAOS, run by the nefarious Siegfried (Terence Stamp), has been stealing all the nuclear weapons and is using them to threaten the United States to pay him $2 billion dollars. That and he has plans for the President as well. Teamed with Smart, and not too happy about it, is Agent 99 who is played by the once again available Anne Hathaway. Neither can successfully work without the other, and this is regardless of how many stupid things Maxwell does to make his last name all the more ironic and hypocritical.
This movie turned out to be a lot of fun. It is a mix of both action and comedy, and it manages to pull off the combination of the two quite well. It does tend to be another hit and miss comedy for the most part, but once again, the stuff that does hit is worth the price of admission. Director Peter Segal ("The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" and "Anger Management" with Adam Sandler) keeps the movie on a swift pace that doesn't slog anywhere, and he also brings some heart to the proceedings as well which keeps this from being just another average action comedy.
Despite the fact that Steve Carrel does seem to playing a version of himself that we have seen many times before, he is indeed a very good actor. If you don't believe that, then just check out "The 40-Year Old Virgin," and then you will believe. I know you have all seen that movie at least twice, so it won't hurt to see it again. While his performance is for the most part broadly comic, he does have other moments where he makes you sympathize and care about his character without even saying a word. Maxwell Smart is another one of those characters where some would say,
"You had me at hello!"
Anne Hathaway, now long removed from "The Princess Diaries" and her nude scene in "Brokeback Mountain," is the perfect foil for Steve Carrel. They click together instantly, and she holds her own against Carrel. Check out the dance scene near the halfway mark in the movie where Carrel and Hathaway try to out dance each other with their respective partners. Anne also has moments where she effortlessly shows the vulnerability of her character, and of how she has to change how she looks after she screwed up a previous mission. She really is a wonderful actress, and no one can ever again peg her as a Disney star and nothing more.
The movie also has a great supporting cast that works well off each other. Duane 'The Rock' Johnson, coming off "The Game Plan" and "Southland Tales," shows a strong flair for comedy, and that seems to be where he is best suited right now. After trying to play the tough guy in a number of action movies that quite frankly sucked, Duane has found his footing, and he steals a number of scenes from Steve and Anne throughout the movie. When Duane gets back at people for rudely interrupting Max or others, he is priceless. No matter how many times you have seen Duane staple a piece of paper to a guy's head in the trailers or the TV spots, it still gets a hearty laugh out of you.
Also sublime in the supporting department is the great Alan Arkin who plays Max's boss, The Chief. With his deadpan delivery where he deals ridiculous lines with the utmost sincerity, he is perfectly cast and keeps you laughing throughout. Alan also has what I thought was the movie's funniest scene after he and Max have crashed through a golf course and ended up in an almost fatal position. The way that ends is too good to reveal here.
The movie also has some great cameos from well known actors that I didn't even know were in the film. How they managed to get in without the Hollywood trades noticing is surprising. To give you a hint, one of them just came off of a quick divorce, and the other actor walked out of a movie directed a man well known for his enormous temper and set destruction (and I'm not talking about Michael Bay).
I may be giving "Get Smart" a little more credit than it deserves. It is not a great movie, and while it aims to be like "The Naked Gun" movies, it does not come close to matching all the gut bustlingly hilarious moments those films had. But it is a good time to be had at the movies, and I left with a smile on my face. In a summer of movies that feel kinda bland (except for "Iron Man"), this one is an above average effort.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a telephone call to make. Please do not stare at me in the phone booth when I make my call. If I cross my arms, that does not mean that you are offending me. But don't get any ideas!
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