Steve Carell Headlines Get Smart Film
Peter Segal and Crew Disappoint With TV Update
Not Smart Enough
Get Smart is a film that tries too hard. While there are many clever and downright hilarious moments in the movie, they have all been revealed in trailers and television spots. The filler in between these bits of comedy is a middling action film. Now, it’s been many years since this film lover has seen Get Smart the television show, but he cannot recall car chases, explosions, and body counts.
It seems as if Peter Segal and his writers were too afraid to make a comedy or too arrogant to think that they could make an action movie funny. It’s not easy to say that, because by George the creative talent behind Get Smart certainly gave it the old college try.
Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart sounds amazing on paper. Adding in the incredibly sexy and talented Anne Hathaway who proved her acting chops in Havoc as Agent 99 also seems like a sure fire thing. Sadly, the movie collapses as it simply attempts to juggle too much and thus never truly excels at anything.
What Went Right
First off it must be said that once again the movie scores points for trying to do the right thing Get Smart is a classic television program created in part by one of America’s foremost comedic minds, Mr. Mel Brooks. Get Smart the movie does pay a good amount of homage to the television show. The headquarters of CONTROL, the super secret good guy spy group that the audience is told is located in its own museum replete with props from the show.
Initially the movie seems like the comedy one would expect from most of the trailers and advertisements. Carell is aptly bumbling and most of his line delivery really does capture the spirit of Don Adam’s performances. Even “The Rock”, credited here under his real name Dwayne Johnson, gives some good initial bits of comedy as the worshipped Agent 23. Unfortunately, as the film progresses and delves into cheesy action territory everyone seems to start to get exhausted with the whole exercise.
What Went Wrong
The film just should not have been a run and gun action film in anything but the most limited way. The original Get Smart was a send up and parody of the spy movie genre. It really revolved around collecting data and having someone bumbling outsmarts those who were superficially intelligent. Maxwell Smart used wacky gadgets. While there are hints of this in the movie, the gadgetry is largely lost as the movie goes on. The Cone of Silence is even brought back but the jokes within it fall flat.
Also lost are the secret phrases to identify CONTROL agents causing mistaken identity. Instead the audience is given some gunplay, explosions, and Anne Hathaway navigating a laser defense system which of course is a highlight. Perhaps if that was rewound over and over again the film could have sustained itself... Sorry, that’s just the mindset of any heterosexual male who will watch this film. Deal with it ladies!
A Middling Film
In the end, Get Smart can’t balance action and comedy and sadly fails at both. Steve Carell ends up moving from Don Adams to Steve Carell a la Michael Scott all too frequently. It’s a shame because Little Miss Sunshine proved his amazing talent. It almost can be said that he coasted through this. Who knows, the fact remains that the trailers are more creative than the finished product. Worth a rental since it shows so much potential. However, this is just one opinion among many. It just happens to be an informed one! Remember, that's what critics tell themselves to feel better since we don't make movies ourselves.
