Get Smart (2008) **½

Get Smart is an oddball. While being better than most TV show to movie adaptations that we have seen over the years it falls into the pitfalls and trappings of the summer movie season. One of the main reasons Get Smart was so successful was that it was able to balance the comedy with the espionage trend that audiences had grown increasingly hungrier for following the launch of the Bond franchise. Get Smart was able to capitalize on those interests through the use of a fresh change of pace by focusing on the comedic elements of such a lifestyle. Don Adams was brilliant as Maxwell Smart, a bumbling though nevertheless leading agent of CONTROL who battled the forces of evil in the form of KAOS. The film Get Smart while trying to emulate its originating show is unable to truly satirize the genre as superbly as the television show was able to and in fact relies on current comedic staples such as gross out humor (Max barfing in the fighter) and homoeroticism (Max defeats the double agent by kissing him) to fulfill some of the comedic needs of the story. While the movie is enjoyable popcorn fare it just serves as a reminder that the television show was far superior in terms of humor and even suspense.

The film takes a bit to get going showing us the best analyst CONTROL has ever seen in the form of Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell) but who has failed the field agent's exam seven times partly due to his physical fitness problem (cue montage of overweight Max on obstacle course, another staple in the form of overweight humor). I do have to admit it was touching the hurt Max shows when the Chief (Alan Arkin) tells him that despite his final success of the exam he is needed in his current job more. An experience which I know all to well working at the law firm I am currently employed at. How do you cope with being told you are too good to be promoted? However once the newly christened Agent 86 is partnered with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) and they are off to Russia the film begins to pick up in terms of action. Once I heard Anne Hathaway was to play the love interest I was a bit befuddled as Steve Carrell is almost twice her age and these are two agents who are supposed to fall in love while working as partners. I must say that the childlike nature that Steve Carrell brings to his character helps to dispel the age discrepancy and even though they fall for one another rather quickly it's not entirely unrealistic.

The espionage takes on a clichéd form in that of a threat of nuclear blackmail directly lifted out of an early Bond or even the first Austin Powers. Why go through all the trouble of secretly amassing a nuclear stockpile and seriously crippling the opposition to just ask for money? It looks like the espionage angle was an afterthought in the script since it would rely heavily on the comedy but when that falls flat as well you're left with a story that's only as interesting as the action set pieces. The action does work and Carrell and Hathaway do bring some lighter moments to the action. The second two-thirds are enjoyable as it is an adventurous ride to see how 86 and 99 will save LA from nuclear attack. See what happens when you disband CTU? In lieu of other back-up the Chief is there to provide able assistance and I must say I throughly enjoyed Alan Arkin's character in the film. Having won a best supporting actor in 2006 for Little Miss Sunshine, he continues to shine in comedy here and probably the most fun of the characters. His no-nonsense attitude as the Chief and his straight delivery of his lines makes him a perfect foil as he is surrounding by mostly silly characters and rises to the occasion when he is needed to save the day.

Favorite moment: Hands down I was absolutely in stitches with his delivery of the line following his and Max's excursion to the driving range. Max asks if the Chief is thinking what he is thinking and the Chief gave his impassive reply of "I don't know. Was it 'Holy shit. Holy shit. This swordfish almost went through my eye.' Is that it?" delivered in that deadpan voice while staring intently at the sharp point a mere few inches from his face I could not contain the laughter.