Maxwell smart agent 86 for control battles the forces of kaos with the more competent agent 99 at his side. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 11/04/2008 Starring: Steve Carell Dwayne Johnson Run time: 110 minutes Rating: Pg13
The Cold War may be over, but that doesn't mean it can't still be milked for laughs. Get Smart, the sassy film version of the Mel Brooks/Buck Henry-created '60s TV satire, brings plenty of elements of the original series and spins it freshly into the new world of bad guys in the 21st century, pretty much without losing a beat. Steve Carell is perfectly cast as the bumbling Maxwell Smart--but in a slick improvement on the TV show, Smart isn't really hapless--though he has a bit of a self-esteem problem (all around his apartment are sticky notes with exhortations like "You can DO it!"). Carell's Maxwell Smart is a sharp techie researcher at the uber-secret crime-battling agency, CONTROL, who's just a little out of his element out in the field. As his data-crunching sidekick Bruce (Masi Oka of Heroes) says, "We're the ones guarding democracy!", aghast that Max would want to be an agent.
But Max longs for the action enjoyed by the likes of Agent 23 (a godlike Dwayne Johnson), with glamorous deployments around the world. When he finally gets his dream assignment--as the newly minted Agent 86--he's paired up with the slick and experienced Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), who provides great lines, not to mention some interesting chemistry, while she continually saves Max from harm's way. The cast is terrific, with memorable appearances by Alan Arkin as the Chief, Terrence Stamp as the head of the uber-evil KAOS, and Bill Murray as a (literally) put-out-to-pasture agent whose spy post is inside a tree ("really great, old-school stuff" he calls his assignment). And there's plenty of action, explosions, and creative shootouts with the bad guys (highlight: a freefall from a plane, with two people and just two parachutes). But it's Carell and his combination of insecure yearning and deadpan delivery that make Get Smart as, well, smart as it is. When Max learns he's finally been promoted to agent, he slips into the Cone of Silence--which unfortunately is malfunctioning. "I'm so happy! I'm so happy!" he yells, as his colleagues sit nearby hearing the whole thing. Discovering that, he purses his lips and says, "Well, that's a sucker-punch to the gonads." Sorry about that. --A.T. Hurley
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Nostalgia and Laughs:
I laughed til I cried, over and over again. My kids kept having to pause the movie until we could stop laughing. I used to watch the TV series when I was a kid, and this brought back great memories.
Pretty Lame:
A read a review that called Get Smart "Staggeringly Bad". Now, although I won't go that far, it was pretty bad, and not very funny at all. I watched it thinking that I might enjoy it if i tried to seperate it from the TV series, but it was still bad. The movie gave only passing reference to the players and comic genius of the original series. It seemed as though they were just trying to get those catch phrases and support characters out of the way so they could continue with whatever it was they were trying... more info
Well Made...But Couldn't Make Up Its Mind:
Steve Carrell was an excellent choice to play Maxwell Smart, the production is first rate, and the rest of the cast is very good...but I kept wanting more spoof and less spying. There were too many moments when the story played its intrigue story straight at the expense of the comedy (that and Mike Meyers' limited sex and fart jokes killed the Austin Powers films). Still, some good moments, very well made (it looks good enough to actually be a glossy spy film!), I just wish it had more humor in it.... more info
Funnier than expected:
I was pleasantly surprised while watching this movie. The inclusion of The Rock helped decrease the overall dorkie-ness. Lots of fun and right up there with the Austin Powers movies.
The Blu-Ray copy looked AMAZING. I did not see a copy of the regular DVD version so I have no real comparison but that aside, it looked crystal clear.
