Mini Movie Review - Get Smart

It’s a recipe for disaster: take a current TV star and put him in a movie version of a classic TV show. It’s sure to disappoint both the star’s fans and fans of the old show. The script will be contrived, stuck between slipping in homages to the original and providing modern audiences with what they expect from current movies. The director is sure to assemble lots of other stars in supporting roles, to bring in audience members who aren’t fans of either the TV star or the original series, and they will end up being completely wrong for their parts. In short, it will be exactly the sort of summer blockbuster shit that nobody actually enjoys, yet somehow makes money.

Except when the star is Steve Carell and the TV show is Get Smart. Somehow it manages to have every one of these flaws, yet somehow ends up being highly entertaining. Carell doesn’t disappoint at all, bringing enough of Don Adams to the role of Maxwell Smart to make the character seem familiar, but not so much as to seem like a parody. The callbacks to the original series are there, but are used skillfully and playfully. The supporting cast works perfectly, never stealing the show from Carell, but never exactly blending in a scenery either. Anne Hathaway managed to be beautiful and kick ass at the same time. Alan Arkin proves that he can still trade quips and punches, even at 74. And Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson manages not to suck, which for him is a major accomplishment. In short, it’s exactly the sort of summer blockbuster that everyone should actually enjoy, and makes money.

Rating: