Max la Menace

I enjoyed every minute of Get Smart. It's an agreeable and fun mixture of the action, spy, and comedy genres. Imagine a combination of Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Pineapple Express, with some Steve Carell-style comedy mixed in. It's not similar in story to either of those movies, but it does manage to blend action and comedy together in a comparable way.

The casting is perfect, and really what makes Get Smart so likable. There is a pretty amazing group of actors gathered here, especially considering the fact that these kinds of films do not often attract A-list talent. Everyone seemed like they were having fun and enjoying their roles, and it shows in their acting.

Get Smart has a basic spy-type plot that certainly won't be winning any awards for originality. At the same time, I never though the fairly typical story was detracting from the movie. You're probably not watching this for a deep and thought-provoking experience, anyway.  

And who would have guessed that Anne Hathaway would be so good in an action role? I'd love to see her do more of this kind of thing in the future, she has a bit of a talent for it.

This film is about an incompetent agent who is assigned to a mission to save the world from terrorists with nuclear weapons.

I was hoping "Get Smart" to be a comedy with intelligent humour, but I was so disappointed. The plot is hopelessly contrived and full of clichés. The film is full of silly jokes that are irritating instead of funny. Those so called funny scenes are repetitive and tiring. The tooth microphone joke is not funny, but they did it three or four times. The get hit by a car scene is annoying as it tries to be funny by stating the obvious. Hence, the scene become not funny.

"Get Smart" is boring, with irritating and silly humour that fails to be funny. I am thoroughly disappointed by it.

Right off the bat, if you're the kind of person who hates all remakes then of course you'll hate this movie. But if that's you, then why even bother reading reviews?

Good, you're still here, so we'll assume that you're willing to give this flick a fair shake. "Get Smart" (2008) is a reboot of the iconic tv series, and by "reboot" I mean that it doesn't necessarily follow the original storyline except that the characters share the same names. In this version, Maxwell Smart is a lowly analyst who gets his big shot at being an agent. Other than being a general nerd, his schtick is that, being an obsessive intelligence analyst, he knows the enemy inside out. So even though he may not be a dashing superhero, his intelligence is his strength. When he's not being a total clueless dolt, that is. I thought this was a great new angle.

His counterbalance is Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), an experienced field operative who has to put up with Max's quirky arrogance. She may possibly have some anger issues. Again, a really fun character to watch.

The plot? Not important. Like the original tv show, the plot is rather superficial with the real entertainment being carried by the gags. There were some nice nods to the original show, such as the ridiculous "cone of silence", the absurd gadgets crammed into common household objects, and of course some of the original trademark catchphrases ("Missed it by that much"). A few of the zingers were really funny and got some full belly laugh out of me. But they were sparsely placed, and that's my only criticism. Perhaps in an attempt to keep the plot moving, there were not enough bizarre wisecracks as I would have liked. One of my favorites was when Agent 99 somberly tells Max that if he gets caught, there's a pill in his belt buckle that causes death in 9 seconds. To which Max replies: "But how will I get them to take it?" This is the kind of humor that made the original so fun and makes this version a worthy homage.

The cameos are awesome with fleeting appearances by Kevin Nealon (from SNL), Patrick Warburton (Elaine's weird boyfriend "Putty" on Seinfeld), James Caan as "the president" (who can't pronounce "nuclear" - I wonder who that is), and none other than Bill Murray as Agent 13.

Dwayne Johnson practically steals the show as Agent 23, a caricature of every action hero he's ever played.

A final note worth noting: the technical consultant mentioned in the credits is THE Mel Brooks. It didn't surprise me because at times this has a somewhat Brooksian flair, especially in the hilarious ballroom dance number, oddly reminiscent of "the czardas" dance in Dracula: Dead & Loving It. Bottom line, if you are ready for a good time you'll have a good time.

OK, I'll admit I never expect much from remakes of classic TV shows. I chose to watch this while donating blood - a decision I reserve for movies I don't expect to be good enough to share with my wife. The surprise: well, it's actually pretty good!

First of all: great casting! Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway give performances that nicely reflect those in the TV series, without doing cheap impressions of the original actors. Their performances stand on their own, and Carell delivers all your favorite Max-isms ("Sorry about that, Chief", "Missed it by that much", etc.) with aplomb. But the real prize in this movie is the casting of Alan Arkin as the Chief of Control. Brilliant casting, great performance!

Even beyond the leads, the casting was outstanding - from old friends (Larabee, Siegfried, Shtarker) to new characters (notably, Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23).

In all, a fun 110 minutes that stands on its own while also paying tribute to a classic.

It's amazing how good comic delivery can elevate mediocre material. Such is the case with 'Get Smart', where Steve Carell's excellent comic timing, and his chemistry with Anne Hathaway make for a very entertaining film, despite the at times clichéd script. Basically it's a light-hearted spy spoof with pot shots directed towards the Bush administration's War on Terror. Fans of wrestler Khali will like his appearance in the film. Dwayne Johnson chips in with a decent performance. The climax is surprisingly thrilling and works well in the film. A solid recommendation.

Overall 7/10