Get Smart - A Quick Review

[N2DVD]

Had the absolute delight of seeing the new Steve Carell/Anne Hathaway movie last night at a special preview at a local military base. I watched Get Smart as a kid during the 60s, and am a real fan of the original Adams/Feldon show. That said, I tell you I have not laughed so much at a movie in a long time. I can't remember a movie in recent years that used old fashion slapstick to the extent that Get Smart does. The verbal and sight gags were constant and good. The dance scene featured in the trailers had our audience applauding at the end, and there were just so many sequences that just had everyone rolling - Max trying to use a special "gadget" knife while in an airplane bathroom, navigating a laser filled room with a rat in his pants (funnier than you might think), and the final action scene involving a fight in a flaming SUV, railroad tracks, a light airplane, and an on-coming train. And watch for the riff on the Moonraker opening - a skydiving fight with a Jaws-like bad guy. Trust me, the best stuff is NOT in the trailer.

The nods to the old show are plentiful - the hallways of opening and closing doors, the phone booth, the Sunbeam and shoe phone, the unfortunate Agent 13 (cameo by Bill Murray), and the appearance of not only the old Seigfried, but a certain "hardened" agent who will be in the direct to video "Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control". Bruce and Lloyd are the Q-team for Control, and are very funny in their few scenes.

Steve Carell did a great job as Max - he has the whole deadpan humor thing down, and Max as a character is suprisingly competent, just a little accident prone. Anne Hathaway is wonderful as the competitive 99, who learns just just how effective Max can be in the field. Alan Arkin was terrific as the Chief, a man itching to get back into action. Dwayne Johnson, who does funny very well, as Agent 23, the guy everyone wants to be like. The only weak part for me was Terrance Stamps' Siegfried. He played it too low key, and frankly, I didn't find him all that threatening or funny. Siegfried should have been a very over the top bad guy.

But all in all, this was a sometime hysterically funny take on an old favorite. Only a couple of mildly "crude" scenes and a little language earn this film its PG-13 rating, so it's fairly safe family entertainment. Can't wait to see it again.

[Brain Stew]

I am really happy you gave such a glowing review of this movie. I've been worried about how good it will be and this really gives me something to look forward to.

[minesh1]

I'm just sad the studio (Warner?) hasn't made a mad push to get the original series out in reruns & dvds prior to releasing the film. I know they're available through Time-Life, but very expensive. I remember loving the series (in reruns) back in the 80's, but I forget all the silly details, and my kids have never heard of it. The younger generation may just think this is a rip-off of the Austin Powers series, when really the opposite is true.

Hopefully the movie is successful as a straight up comedy/spy film, and that spurs the original series to be released on DVD & in reruns.

[Groucho]

Currently 54% rotten at RT. Which makes it seem like a masterpiece when compared to 15% for The Love Guru.

[JOE29]

Hopefully the movie is successful as a straight up comedy/spy film, and that spurs the original series to be released on DVD & in reruns.

Get Smart Season 1 will be available to purchase at Amazon on Aug.5
You can also get season 1 from Timelife by itself. I was able to get it a few years ago
Only thing is, Only Season 1 is available right now seperately.
Hopefully with Season 1 being released in August the rest of the seasons will follow.
I have stated before that I will not pay $200 for the full set at one time.
But the Seasons being sold seperately will be mine when they become available.
Also- Great review of the movie, I'll have to make arraingements to go and see it.

[Mikael79]

Originally Posted by JOE29

Hopefully the movie is successful as a straight up comedy/spy film, and that spurs the original series to be released on DVD & in reruns.

Get Smart Season 1 will be available to purchase at Amazon on Aug.5
You can also get season 1 from Timelife by itself. I was able to get it a few years ago
Only thing is, Only Season 1 is available right now seperately.
Hopefully with Season 1 being released in August the rest of the seasons will follow.
I have stated before that I will not pay $200 for the full set at one time.
But the Seasons being sold seperately will be mine when they become available.
Also- Great review of the movie, I'll have to make arraingements to go and see it.

The paragraph is not evil!

[Maxwell Smart]

Missed it by that much!

I'm sceptical of the rock being in this movie.

[RichC2]

Whys that? Of all the athletes-turned-actors, he's been pretty much the best. Not that that is saying much...

[Draven6593]

Originally Posted by Mikael79

The paragraph is not evil!

Seriously.

[RichC2]

Ebert gave it a 3.5.. the review isn't up but the blurb is:

Get Smart (PG-13)
Secret agent ham
By Roger Ebert

The closing credits of “Get Smart” mention Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, creators of the original TV series, as “consultants.” Their advice must have been: “If it works, don’t fix it.” There have been countless comic spoofs of the genre founded by James Bond, but “Get Smart” (both on TV and now in a movie) is one of the best. It’s funny, exciting, preposterous, great to look at, and made with the same level of technical expertise we’d expect from a new Bond movie itself. And all of that is very nice, but nicer still is the perfect pitch of the casting.

As a point of comparison, he gave the first Austin Powers a 3 out of 4 (#2 - 2.5 out of 4, #3 - 2 out of 4), and the upcoming Love Guru a 1 out of 4.

[DarkestPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Mikael79

The paragraph is not evil!

They got wireless in your boat??

[N2DVD]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart

Missed it by that much!

I'm sceptical of the rock being in this movie.

Dwayne Johnson was VERY funny as the experienced field agent relegated to an office job. "But he jammed the copier and just left it!" Very funny scene.

[GuessWho]

Originally Posted by RichC2

Ebert gave it a 3.5.. the review isn't up but the blurb is

full review is up now
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...IEWS/867249699

[fumanstan]

I'm never skeptical of The Rock. I think he's been awesome in everything he's done (yes, even the Game Plan)

[DRG]

Originally Posted by fumanstan

I'm never skeptical of The Rock. I think he's been awesome in everything he's done (yes, even the Game Plan)

The fact he made that movie even tolerable for me says a lot about his charmisma. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been with a lesser star.

[RichC2]

Originally Posted by DRG

The fact he made that movie even tolerable for me says a lot about his charmisma. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been with a lesser star.

See: The Pacifier

[Daytripper]

Had a lot of fun watching this movie. It started off choppy. Just couldn't find it's groove. But then it picked up nicely and I laughed several times. Good, not great. And I'd give it 6/10.

[g]

This movie was bit of a disappointment for me. The movie was very boring and monotonous. Only the likeable actors made this movie watchable. I give it 2 stars.

[mdc3000]

I thought this was good, not great (however having sat through The Love Guru just prior, this seemed 100x better). I thought Carell, Hathaway and Arkin were great. Stamp, The Rock, Koechner, Caan and Masi Oka just have nothing to do in this movie. The plot is paper thin and not presented very well and the supporting cast just doesn't get any good material... just about every time Carell isn't on screen the movie screeches to a complete and total halt. The action scenes were passable but the geography in those scenes is confused and half the time you're not sure what is happening...just no flair in those scenes.

There is one really good cameo (agent 13) but other people who showed up for one scene were just wasted overall. Still, enough 'cute' or amusing moments to recommend a matinee, but certainly not the best movie of it's kind. Passable fun and certainly a better vehicle than Evan Almighty, just needed a better story (super predictable and half the time I either didn't care or wasn't sure what was going on) and better stuff for the supporting characters... fun, light but didn't live up to it's full potential. 3/5 stars.

[DJariya]

Did anyone hear they already shot a straight to video sequel with Masi Oka as the lead?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018723/

So if Get Smart does well and WB greenlights a sequel with Carell and Hathaway again, would that be considered Part 3?

[TheMovieman]

^ No, it's just a spin-off. Dumb, problably, but I think since neither Carrell nor Hathaway are in it, it won't be considered a true sequel.

Anyway, as for the movie, I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit. Some of the jokes fell flat but it was an enjoyable experience helped quite a bit by Anne Hathaway... man oh man. When I first saw the teaser and trailers, I wasn't that impressed but Carrell carried the film well enough and they sprinkled in plenty of nods to the series to more than satisfy fans. Not some masterpiece comedy or anything, but certainly a good time. Will definitely get this on DVD.

[kstublen]

I remember watching the series (in reruns obviously) when I was VERY young. I thoroughly enjoyed it then, although I only remember bits and pieces of it nearly 15 years later. In any case, I hope to revisit it on DVD when I get some more money.

I was very skeptical about seeing this movie. The trailers didn't seem too funny and I had no real intention of seeing it. But my friend asked me to come, and we ended up getting in free because of a friend that worked there. That from the start boosted my enthusiasm for the movie, as I wasn't looking forward to paying to see it and being disappointed.

I was pleasantly surprised. I think Carrell was spot on as Maxwell Smart. Anne Hathaway actually impressed me (aside from looks) in this role. Alan Arkin is always a joy to see on the screen. I concur with everyone about The Rock as well. He has really grown as an actor over the years. From what I can remember about the series, the movie seemed to have some very good moments of nostalgia, and I did find myself laughing for a decent amount of the movie.

One problem I did have, was the cheap shots at George Bush. I don't mind political humour or satire or even mocking the president. However, I felt it was out of place in the movie, and just didn't fit well. I felt like it was thrown in there to get a few laughs out of the audience, but that it ultimately cheapened the movie as a whole. I also felt a little déjà vu during the mistaking the main character of possessing a bomb (for those of you that saw Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo Bay, I would suspect a similar sense of "been there, done that"). Other than those two complaints, I think the movie was pretty well done, and pulled off the deadpan humour that I loved from the original series.

Agent 13:

Spoiler:

Bill Murray was an awesome cameo. His little part really got me laughing, and made for a good and awkward exchange between himself and Carrell. Great transition scene.

I was glad to see Mel Brooks was involved as well.

[wilky61]

Yeah, I loved Agent 13's little cameo scene. I did not know he was in this movie.

I just got back from this, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The trailers made Max's character out to be much dumber than he actually was. I had pretty high expectations for this movie and I went into it thinking I'd really enjoy it, and it even exceeded my expectations and turned out to be funnier than the trailer showed.

The "swordfish" line at the end had me rolling. The "dancing" sequence was hilarious. The first 30 minutes of the movie dragged and wasn't very funny, but once Max/99 got into the field in Russia the movie really picked up. It was a good 80 minutes of nonstop hilarity with some pretty good (light-hearted) action.

Very solid comedy.

[Shannon Nutt]

Friday Estimates:

Get Smart = #1 with apx. $15 million

Love Guru = #4 with apx. $5 million

[Bandoman]

I took the family and we all loved it. Some really funny moments (the dance scene in particular, as well as the swordfish moment), and I thought it was consistently funny throughout.