Get Smart Film Review

Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, a bumbling analyst at CONTROL, a US government spy organization. When KAOS, an evil nemesis organization that deals with drugs and nuclear weapons, steals the information for every secret agent of CONTROL, The Chief (Alan Arkin) recruits agent-hopeful Smart as Agent 86 to assist Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) in taking down KAOS. Complications ensue when Agent 99 accuses Smart of being a double agent.

The film’s true flame lies in witty side jokes that spice a rather tried-and-true mediocre central plot. Get Smart is smart in its humor while still employing physical and slapstick elements of comedy that rings true to the original television series starring Don Adams as Smart.

Simply Stellar Cast

Perhaps one of the most alluring elements of the film lies in the casting. Get Smart employs an all-star cast of familiar faces all making the simple plot a bit more amplified. Carell brightens his comedic chops as Smart, luring in fans of The Office; he clearly makes up for last year’s box office dud, Evan Almighty. His performance in Get Smart seemingly makes Evan Almighty a teensy blip on the radar that will fade into the Hollywood obscurity; a “What were they thinking?” film.

Hathaway is charming as Agent 99, and her role in this film has surely helped to solidify her role as an actress that is here to stay. Though Hathaway is a relatively young actress at only 25 years old, she’s not too closely associated with the arguably cursed Young Hollywood scene of partying and DUI arrests. Her last role in 2007’s Becoming Jane as Jane Austen herself was a serious role while in Get Smart Hathaway brushes up her comedic performance and dry delivery of lines.

Though initially coming to mind as an odd paring, Carell and Hathaway managed to establish a balanced chemistry throughout the film. Arkin as The Chief delivered a steady performance as did Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23 who can officially drop the title of “The Rock” from his name. Who would have known during his years as a wrestling entertainment star that he would starring opposite Carell, Arkin and Hathaway in a film like Get Smart?

No Love For Guru

Get Smart surprised at the box office during its opening weekend. Though the film was expected to settle in for second place after Mike Myers’ hyped up comedy The Love Guru, slapstick spy comedy Get Smart took its place.

The Final Word

Get Smart is classic comedy in the style of slapstick and witty lines. The film has a mass appeal due to it's superb cast that mesh well and provide a great on screen chemistry that the audience will enjoy. Get Smart has it's low points like a plot that could have been a bit more spiced up and not so mediocre as it was but did pull through with a hilarious performance from Carell.

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