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Since 1996 |
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Get Smart Stars: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, Dwayne Johnson, James Caan, Terence Stamp and cameos by Bill Murray and Patrick Warburton Director: Peter Segal Scriptwriters: Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember on characters by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry Composer: Trevor Rabin Warner Brothers Rating: PG 13 for rude humor, action violence, language and brief nudity Running Length: one hour and 45 minutes You can’t have the original back no matter how hard you wish it could happen. This is the case with remaking Get Smart from the 1965 television series that starred the late Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Edward Platt as the Chief and Barbara Felton as Agent 99. The shoe telephone gave footwear new meaning. Here it is, 2008 and we have Steve Carell (Dan in Real Life) as Smart, Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada”) as Agent 99 and Alan Arkin as the Chief. Dwayne Johnson (formerly known as The Rock) is Agent 23. The story basically follows the lines of the television series in that the Russians are the bad guys (terrible accents and known as KAOS) and the Americans are the good guys (known as CONTROL, which is so secret even the government doesn’t known about them anymore.) The script pokes fun at everything including high-level government meetings (constant bickering), and the fact that the higher up the ladder of government you go, the less brain power you have. In essence, entry level rules the country. Much competition between agents as to who is the better spy, and this includes Smart and Agent 99. Terence Stamp is a Russian spy who steals nuclear material. Only Smart (new Agent 86) and Agent 99 are on his trail and helped by government friends with secret weapons (think James Bond with a super Swiss pocket knife.) The chase goes from Washington, D.C. to Moscow and back. In between are disguises and escapes. Some of the situations include Agent 99 and Smart going to a formal party as a model and her deaf chauffeur. A humorous and strangely poignant scene is a dance contest where the two agents are still in disguise. Agent 99 has a handsome Russian dance partner while Smart grabs an overweight blonde woman, giving her status among the wafer-thin women there and it turns out that the two dance well together. In the field, though, Smart can’t do anything right while Agent 99 can’t do anything wrong. Back at the home office, the Chief (Alan Arkin who steals all his scenes) tries to maintain composure and run the place with dunderheads everywhere. President of the U.S. is played by James Caan who gives an off-center impersonation of a certain government head. Sight gags are everywhere and the stunts are very good from escaping a burning building to trying to avoid a train. Even racial profiling in a plane is in the script. In fact, you could ignore the storyline, thin as it is, and have a film, one stunt after another. The actors that have the main roles do their best, but Anne Hathaway is a pale version of Agent 99. Her voice is so soft you wonder if she is speaking at all. Steve Carell keeps a calm demeanor even though he is failing in just about everything he attempts. Anything near him is a weapon, though they end up being weapons of little destruction. As the character of Maxwell Smart, he must have at least 12 rabbit’s feet in his pockets. Dwayne Johnson is trying to lose the persona of “The Rock” and does comedy well here. There is a certain scene with Smart, though, that will test the Rock’s fans. Alan Arkin makes us realize just why he is “The Chief” and his deft touch makes the film. By the way, Trevor Rabin’s soundtrack with the well-known “Get Smart” theme mixed into a rock beat is a special treat. No, you can’t exactly recreate the past, but this Get Smart pays homage to the characters and yet lets today’s personalities shine through. As far as plot, well, there barely isn’t any, but pratfalls galore. Remember Don Adams and his phone-shoe? It’s here, too. Dialing 86.…Dialing 86.…. Copyright 2008 Marie Asner Submitted 6/16/08 for 6/20/08
Movies based on past TV shows are pretty much hit or miss. There are two schools of thought on these. You can try to completely mirror the original or take the concept, modernize the characters and culture, and create a film that is relevant while holding true to the nostalgia of the original. That is primarily what takes place in the new world of Get Smart. The names are the same but the story has been changed slightly to give it, what I feel, is a wittier, fast paced version of the television series. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) wants nothing more than to become an agent for the government troupe, CONTROL. When he finally gets his big break he teams up with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to foil another dastardly plot by the democracy hating group known as KAOS. With a little more style and far less bumbling than the original Smart, this Max has to work against time to stop a nuclear holocaust of monumental proportions. The question is will he do it in time, or miss it by that much? Carell continues to show his strength in comedic roles by creating a Smart that is enough like Adams to be recognizable but still adding his own versatile wit and sharp paced liners. When he is called upon to be bumbling he does it without the slapstick campiness. When he has to be clever he is suave but naive. Though a whopping 20 years younger than her on screen co-star, Hathaway holds her own as 99 and brings a modernized edge to this female spy role. She and Carell work well together and the timing is decent. This film has a strong supporting cast including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Alan Arkin, Nate Torrence and David Koechner. Each person brings their own unique brand of acting humor to this film. Although there is nothing overly creative or mold breaking about Get Smart, all the pieces come together to make a great all around package. The site gags work without being hokey and humor is delivered and directed perfectly. Get Smart is rated PG-13 for some
rude humor, action violence and language. It is tamer than most films of
this rating and is safe for anyone 11 and up. The rude humor is subtle
and sparse. The writers weave it in with tact and it never seems raunchy
or gratuitous. Fans of the TV show may worry that this new installment
will deface the original but I truly feel that if they give it a shot they
will find a pretty smart comedy that entertains nicely. I give Get Smart
4 out of 5 tiny harpoons.
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