Movie Review: Get Smart
Steve Carell can get me into the theatre any day of the week. Get Smart was no exception. I watched the TV show when it used to be on Nick at Nite all the time, so I was familiar with the character and the show itself. I’d been pretty excited to see this one, and wasn’t disappointed.
Steve Carell, as I said earlier, will get me to show up anytime. His casting here is perfect. His delivery and demeanor make the role what it is. If there was ever going to be a remake, it could only be done with Mr. Carell. I was honestly a bit worried at first. I generally don’t find physical comedy to be that funny, and the trailer seemed to be completely full of just that. I was half expecting a repeat performance of Evan Almighty, but the physical gags worked here. Carell was able to pull it off, when I previously thought physical humor wasn’t for him. Carell put this movie on his back and made it what it was. Agent #99 is played by Anne Hathaway and is also a joy to watch. She’s sexy, funny when she has to be, smart, and kicks some ass along the way. Allen Arkin shows up as The Chief and has some good lines. Even Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as “The Rock,” was able to get some chuckles out of me. A few cameos and some familiar faces round out the cast and all give a couple good lines each.
The plot is really nothing to take seriously. Double agents, cliche spy characters, and some expected twists make it easy to follow. It’s very textbook, but it’s not the plot that is going to make you laugh. It simply serves as the vehicle to put Agent #86 in as many awkward situations as the 110 minute running time will allow. Don’t expect a Bourne style plethora of fight or chase scenes, or serious plot. That isn’t to say that is free of these action devices. This is a spy movie, but it’s a comedy first. Everything is there to serve as a joke, and for the most part, they hit their mark each time.
I went in neutral. I figured I would at least get some laughs from Steve Carell, and I did. But the whole movie itself was better than expected. It felt new, but still had some of the charm of the original. The few moments Carell’s voice became nasally, it was like he was channeling Don Adams himself. The movie is by no means a classic or stellar comedy, but it’ll keep you laughing the majority of the time. And that is all you can really ask of a comedy when your only other option is The Love Guru.
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