Got Get Smart Right
Written: Jul 06 '08 (Updated Jul 06 '08)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: True to the series, funny, not offensive, many sight gags updated.
Cons: Some images might be briefly objectionable to some viewers.
The Bottom Line: Loved it--recommend it. I hope there's a GOOD sequel!
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| legar's Full Review: Get Smart |
Remember the Cold War and the subsequent spy craze, driven by 007, of course, but by campier creations like Honey West and Maxwell Smart? Campy and silly, but Get Smart always made me laugh. Years later, I was surprised--and encouraged--that my youngest daughter had seen a few episodes and told me a year ahead of time that a movie was in the works.
The movie would star Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart, Control Agent 86, and I thought that might work. So I held my breath for a year, and when the movie came out, went.
Given the recent trend of movies, I expected a lot of vulgarity, probable nudity, and little to do with the series. I struggled to remember all those little "86isms," like "Would you believe?" and "Sorry about that, Chief," wondering how many, if any, would make it into the film, and unable to imagine Get Smart without them.
Amazingly, this non-movie goer (last movie was about 8 or 9 years ago) laughed and reminisced for the whole 110 minutes of the Peter Segal-directed comedy.
The fact that Max started as a Control analyst, not an agent, worried me briefly; he was a well-known, if incompetent, agent in the series. Agent 99 in the series invariably saved the day, but gracefully and quietly. My first impression of Anne Hathaway in the 99 role was that she'd be too competent to keep the balance the series had--but that didn't happen.
In the series, the Chief was a long-suffering administrator who managed to survive both Max as Agent 86 and KAOS, and Alan Arkin did the Chief justice while adding a feisty touch to the role that made me laugh.
Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23, a KAOS double agent, gave evil the ideal combination of charm, polish and...evil!
Max Smart's progress from analyst denied a promotion to Agent 86 included many of the series' gimmicks and gadgets--including the shoe phone--that authenticated the movie.
Carell's portrayal made him seem less a goof and more intelligent than the series 86, which probably makes the character more sympathetic to moviegoers who haven't seen the series.
Funny cameos--Bill Murray as the desperate, well-hidden Agent 13 and James Caan as a bumbling, word-challenged President, were hoots, too.
One of my favorite "86isms" occurs at the end, in the interchange between the Chief and 99, but we won't go there.
Silly, yes, campy--funny. Would you believe a movie based on a series that works? This one does!
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
legar
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Member: Leslie Garcia
Location: Laredo, Texas
Reviews written: 85
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
I'm an elementary school teacher, mother, and published author, currently living in Laredo, Texas.
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