Movie Review: Get Smart

When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart - armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm - must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS.

This movie had a lot of things going for it for my tastes - Steve Carell, Dwayne Johnson, Anne Hathaway's legs, the old TV show Get Smart - but for some reason the trailers just didn't excite me much so I never bothered to see it in the theater this Summer. So really, I didn't expect much from it. That may be why I enjoyed it as much as I did when I finally rented it.

It's not gut-busting funny or anything, but it's got a lot of fun scenes. And it's different from a lot of big money comedies lately in that it gets it's laughs in a less rude, offensive manner. It's not totally clean-cut, but you don't have to hide your face if you watch it with your mother (try that with Knocked Up sometime).

All of the characters are cast very well. From Anne Hathaway's sexy, straight role, to Dwayne Johnson being a stud-muffin, to Billy Murray hiding in a tree, to Alan Arkin as The Chief and especially Steve Carell. All bring an extra something to their roles which put it a notch above a lot of recent comedies. I really thought they'd be doing more of a spy-movie spoof of Get Smart (the TV show) but it's not that as much as a stand-alone action comedy with a few nods to the old show (yes, there's a cone-of-silence and a shoe phone). There are lots of sight-gags, slapstick and one-liners glued all around a pretty decent storyline with a touch of romance thrown in.

If you've ever wondered how Carell would fare in an old Mel Brooks film, here's your answer. It's never laugh-out-loud funny but there are enough smiles and chuckles to warrant a viewing, especially for Carell fans.

7/10