Get Smart.
Get Smart
Loose Description: Maxwell Smart works for a highly covert agency known as Control. As an anal-retentive analyst sticking strictly to office work and tedious reports, he longs to be a field agent. Though he aces the test, his boss is reluctant to promote him due to his remarkable attention to detail in analysis. As Smart succinctly puts it "So let me get this straight. I'm not getting promoted because I'm good at my job?". But after an inside man working for terrorist organization KAOS destroys Control's homebase, the Chief has no choice but to send Smart into action with his femme fatale partner Agent 99. Together, they attempt to find the kingpin behind KAOS' nuclear program, only known as Siegfried. The results are hilariously painful.
My Take: I'm willing to bet that over half the people who came to see this movie did not realize this was a remake of a sitcom from back in the day. I recall, very vaguely, this show on TV. I was still quite young, but I did seem to laugh because he talked on a phone through his shoe. So I recognized the nostalgic value this movie had.
Somehow, I've made the rounds on the internet, and reviewers like to naysay it due to it's ridiculousness and out of place action scenes. Some of them were angry because they were expecting a comedy and got an action movie. Others were vice versa. These people are stupid.
I will admit that Steve Carell is not exactly a name you think of when it comes to action flicks. So during the action scenes, it got a bit unusual. At that, there's so little you can do with action scenes anymore seeing that they've all been done before.
But no one who likes action movies is going to see this movie for the action anyway. This movie works great as a comedy. I laughed my ass off. It was a breath of fresh air on a comedic standpoint, finally drawing away from the Judd Apatow-induced completely "what the fuck" randomness brand of comedy and ventured back to the roots of slapstick and all around silly comedy.
Though Carell never leaves his core character (the articulate, well-adjusted, feet-on-the-ground nitwit) that he's been typecast as in previous efforts (Bruce Almighty, 40 Year Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine. Think about it, he's basically the same guy), he still fits the role of Maxwell Smart effectively and delivers a solid performance.
On a plot standpoint, it's the standard espionage, special ops song and dance that has been retreaded before. But trust me, you don't go to this movie for the plot. If you need to laugh I highly recommend catching this one.
For the Win
*Steve Carell was perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart. No one could have done that role better.
*Overall silliness and high frequency of jokes kept the giggles coming.
*Well rounded supporting cast including David Koechner, the Rock, and ... ... that funny guy who's also on Scrubs.
For the Loss
*Uninspired plot: terrorists have bombs, secret agents must find and infiltrate. Where have I seen this before?
*Anne Hathaway as a potent killing machine? Seriously?
*The love story between Agent 99 and Max was awkward and forced, leaving it completely unnecessary.
Grade: B